Pretty Red Lady
by glindalovesshoes
Summary: Teresa Lisbon is a desperate young hooker, who lost all faith in life, until she meets Patrick Jane, an arrogant businessman. With Teresa being the first woman in a long time to surprise him, Patrick is on his way to become a better person, whereas she has the chance to finally get away from the streets and start her life all over again. Extreme AU / Romance / Humor
1. Chapter 1

Hey guys! I told you there'd be another story from me rather sooner than later and I can proudly admit that I decided to write an AU this time.

Special thanks to my beta Nerwen, who put up with my grammar and spelling mistakes and of course the lovely totorsg who encouraged me a lot :)

This is an extreme AU, so please give it a chance and dive into a new world full of Romance, Humor and also a tiny little bit of Drama ;)

Because we're in an alternate universe, the characters won't always act like you expect they would, but I hope most features will remain true to the original.

While you start to read, there surely will be some questions about the background stories of the characters, but I assure you, you'll get to know everything when the story continues. Some mysteries must be kept, right ;)

Now some of you might have a problem to imagine Lisbon as a hooker, but I beg you to not get overprotective here. I know the Lisbon we know from the show would _never_ do something like this. Also, Jane might seem a little bit like the conman he was before his family died. I can assure you, this is all on purpose.  
Please just give it a try, that'd make me very happy :)  
Now have fun!

And since I wasn't able to post the original summary, because it was too long, here it is:

**Summary: **

Teresa Lisbon is a desperate young hooker, who lost all faith in life, until she meets Patrick Jane, an arrogant and rich businessman, who turns her world upside down. With Teresa being the first woman in a long time to surprise him, Patrick is on his way to become a better person, whereas she has the chance to finally get away from the streets and start her life all over again.

A tribute to my favorite movie "Pretty Woman". Extreme AU, but please take a chance! Romance/Humor

**Disclaimer: **All rights belong to their real owner - which is not me ;)

* * *

**Pretty Red Lady**

(1)

The fat ugly businessman next to her snored like a chainsaw. Annoyed, she pulled one of the cheap pillows over her head, try to get at least five minutes of sleep tonight. Just then, he grunted loudly, continuing his snoring even louder as if he wanted her to stay awake on purpose.

A quick look on his big golden watch on the night stand, told her it was almost six o'clock in the morning. _Time to leave anyways_, she thought sighing.

The woman with the red hair got out of the small bed and started to get dressed. Darn, that idiot had almost ripped her panties last night. He'd been so turned on by her; he'd almost made a mess on the floor when she'd pulled his pants down.

_Disgusting bastard_. She hadn't had anyone this bad in bed in a long time, but in the end it didn't count. It was her job to bring _them_ pleasure, not the other way round. She didn't do this for enjoyment, but because she had to. Sex had nothing to do with feelings, she'd been that taught early. The only goal was to please the clients so some of them would come back and maybe getting a good tip in the morning for all of the effort. One had to switch every single feeling off, do everything in the well known routine she'd been taught. She was a prostitute, yes, but that meant she didn't have to like what she was doing.

_Be thorough_, she told herself, _be strong. You know why you're doing it._

She made a quick run towards the bathroom, splashing some cold water into her tired face and combing through her red hair with her fingers. Oh god, she looked like a mess. For a second, she thought about showering, but she'd do it when she got back to her own room. There was no way she'd want Mr. Fat to wake up before she was gone.

The woman threw her ripped panties into the corner and pulled her tiny black leather skirt up. Where the hell was her bra?

After she got dressed, she took her purse and counted the money lying on the night stand.

_Seriously? A fifty dollars for one night? He was kidding, right?_ They'd agreed on hundred! She wasn't one of the cheap prostitutes you could pick up on the streets, giving you a mouth fuck for fifteen dollars, she was supposed to have a little more style and that cost.

Throwing the sleeping man on the bed a disgusted look, she picked up his trousers and checked the pockets for a wallet. "Here we go", she grinned, after she found an expensive black leather wallet, filled with lots of cash.

Mr. Fat, how she'd decided to call him, said something in his sleep, but he drank so much last night he wouldn't wake up even if she started a bulldozer right next to him. It was always easier when they were drunk. For once, she could turn off her emotions better and she could easily pretend he'd spent all the money for drinks and stuff later on, if the clients woke up before she was gone or she picked their pockets while they were showering.

"Now let's see… You gave me fifty. Well, there goes twenty more, because you ripped my panties, five, because you wanted me to call you Daddy, fifteen, because you didn't stop snoring… and ten more, because you are just ugly." The prostitute counted her money with a satisfied grin. One hundred bucks. She could take more, but she didn't want him to find out and maybe get back to her. She stored half of the bills inside her bra, the others inside her purse and quietly left the room, hoping to never see Mr. Fat again.

* * *

"Yo Trixi, ya did him good last night? Could hear ya fake screamin' down here", a big black man told her, just when she came down the stairs. His arms were filled with tattoos, that made his skin look even darker than it already was. He sat behind an improvised reception desk, waiting for some "guests" to arrive, who needed a room for a few hours. Since it was six in the morning, the business was going slowly.

"Yeah, thanks Big D. How's business going?", Trixi asked, trying to his the sarcasm in her voice.

"Oh stop it. Since that white guy on the other side of the street opened up his rat hole, I get less 'n' less customers here. His rooms are cheaper than my mama's one's when she opened up her business here. But you and the others are still coming. I know I can count on Red John's girls, right?"

Trixi swallowed hard, before she nodded in approval: "Of course you can. I'm sorry, but I gotta go Big D. See you next time."

"Bye baby. And make sure to send me one over tomorrow. It's ma birthday."

"Your birthday is every two weeks", she answered with a smirk on her lips, before she went out of the building that smelled like sex, desperation and cheap perfume, a fragrance she knew all too well, because she was wearing it too.

Trixi shivered a little when she exited the motel building and stepped out on the street, a fresh breeze blowing through the alley where it was located. Only a few people were out at that time of the morning, mostly garbage collectors and a few drunkards who were sent home from the bars. She mostly tried to avoid them out of personal reasons.

The sky was darkened by heavy rain clouds, reflecting her mood perfectly. Maybe she should hurry, before the first raindrops fell and with little she was wearing, she'd get sick. Sin City wasn't what it used to be. She'd been told all the tails of a glamorous showgirl life, but behind all the glitter, lights and money people were only looking for their own advantage, everyone giving a shit about the others.

Sometimes she wished she'd never come down here at all. Her life now felt as dry and lifeless as the desert that surrounded the city.

The prostitute wrapped her arms around her small frame, rubbing her cold skin gently to get a little warmer. It was a fifteen minute walk to the building where her single room apartment was located - hidden in an alley, right behind the famous "Red Mill", the most visited high-society strip club in whole Vegas.

She'd picked up her "client" there last night too, but since the "Red Mill" officially hadn't anything to do with prostitution, they'd taken a cab that'd brought them to Big D's motel.

Trixi walked up the two stairs that lead to the wooden front door, which she opened with a key. The house was silent and she hoped to get into her room without to be seen by anyone. Carefully, she climbed up the first five steps, avoiding the third, because she knew it was the one that creaked if you stepped on it.

Arriving on the first floor without making any noise, she listened for voices coming out of the rooms, but it seemed like either the girls were already asleep or not home yet. Time to climb up the second stairs, quickly before she'd run into…

"Well, well. See who tries to sneak into her room without to be seen", a voice behind her said.

_Shit!_ Trixi fringed and turned around slowly meeting the other woman's cold eyes. She had shoulder long black hair, was tall and skinny but with perfect curves. Her short dark blue dress showed more of her body than Trixi was comfortable seeing with, but she tried to give it no notice.

"What do you want, Lorelei?", she asked annoyed.

"I shall inform you, that they want you to be at the bar around nine tonight", the woman said with a wicked grin. Her hand went up to play with a necklace she wore around her neck.

"And that couldn't have waited until noon? What happened to my day off? I thought Ally was supposed to be at the bar tonight."

"Ally is sick."

"For how long?", the petite woman answered with an annoyed tone.

"She's got the Nine-Months-Sickness, so until we found someone to take her place, we'll spread her shifts on you and the others", the head mistress answered.

Trixi nodded in disapproval, since she couldn't change it anyways. "Are you finished? I want to go and shower now."

Lorelei shook her head: "You just come home from a client, right? Now you know what you're supposed to do afterwards. It's the end of the month, you know."

_How could I forget. _Trixi hesitated, but she knew it wasn't worth it. Sighing, she opened her purse and pressed the fifty dollars into Lorelei's waiting hands, before she turned around to head up the stairs.

"Na, na, na. Not so fast."

"What is it, Lorelei?! With the fifty, I paid what I owe him and you know as well as I do that I'm allowed to keep the rest for myself. I'm tired and I want to shower and sleep. Do you have a problem with that? Fine."

Lorelei smirked and came closer to Trixi, her hand still playing with the necklace. "You made a contract with the boss before you came here. You owe him five years of your services and there are still four to go. I don't care what you need the money for, but I know you're hiding some of it from me under the loose plank in your room…"

"You've been sniffing through my room again?", Trixi snapped offended. It was just then, when her gaze fell on the necklace Lorelei had been playing with the whole time. "What the… How dare you! Give it back to me you bitch!"

She reached for the golden necklace with the cross around Lorelei's neck, but the woman stepped backwards.

"Don't you believe it's ridiculous for a hooker to believe in God? You know what he says about people like us, the wages of a dog."

"You know nothing!", Trixi said, her voice still raised, "Now give me the cross back."

"Or what?" This time Lorelei wasn't quick enough to take a step backwards, before Trixi could hit her face with her flat hand and ripped the necklace off her neck.

"How dare you, you worthless little piece of shit!", the tall woman screamed, rubbing her neck in pain. "I'm going to tell the boss about this and he won't like it! See how you can get yourself out of that one! You just screwed up your chance to get out of here ever again!" With that, Lorelei turned around and left her standing in the hallway.

_Don't cry!_, she told herself, _Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry!_ Running up the stairs, she busted into her little room and locked it up. Only then she allowed herself to let the tears go. Trixi threw herself on the bed, sobbing violently, clutching her arms around the pillow.

This was not fair, just not fair. What did she ever do to deserve something like this? Hadn't she been through enough in her short life already? "Why?", she asked aloud, her voice filled with tears. "Oh God why?"

She took the necklace with the cross that belonged to her mother and held it close to her heart. Tomorrow it would be exactly one year since she was here. One year where she'd gone from a poor girl with great dreams to a cheap hooker with no way out of her situation.

She knew she couldn't leave, because she belonged to him for another five years at least. That was as long as she could pay the rent and do what she was asked to do. She belonged to Red John and his business, like a modern slave. He'd given her food when she was hungry, a job and a roof over the head, when she'd needed it, but the price she'd paid had been too high. Five years of her life in his services. Until then, she couldn't leave. The ones who tried had vanished from the surface.

Her mother had always told her about people who made a pact with the devil, but she'd never thought she'd be the one to make it. Sometimes, she thought, she should just kill herself and put an end to everything. Four more years! There was no way she could survive it that long.

_Stop thinking things like that_, the voice in her head told her. _You need to be strong for them, you need to be strong for your brothers. Now stop whining around._

Trixi wiped away her tears and grabbed for the framed picture on the night desk next to her bed. It showed four siblings – three boys and one girl – in front of a lake. They were all smiling happily into the camera, one of the boys was even showing his tongue. Times had been good back then, happy.

_It'll get better. One day, after you're out of here and have enough money to finally fulfil your dream, things will be better. Just hold on. Hold on._ She pulled the red haired wig from her head and threw it into the next corner. Long dark chocolate brown waves of shiny hair were revealed, falling down on her shoulders in tousled strands. It was time to take a shower and catch a little sleep before she had to work through the night again.

Trixi put the picture of her and her brothers back on the night stand. The lump forming in her throat made it hard to breathe and to hold back the new rising tears. She really wanted to get out of here soon… but the chances were small.

* * *

Patrick Jane stepped out of the black limousine, which stopped in front of a tall modern building with the fancy golden description "Mashburn Avionics". With his dark blue suit, a phone pressed to one ear, a dark brown briefcase in his hand, he looked like most of the in and out coming employees of the firm.

"Listen, Erica, I told you I'd be back I about a week", he tried to appease the woman on the other line, who seemed to be very furious with something."

"_Well Patrick, I have the feeling I'm talking more to your secretary than to you!" _

"I don't have a secretary, dear. Please darling, I thought we talked this through the last time I had to go to Chicago. If you want to keep up with all the shopping you're doing for unnecessary clothes and beauty articles, fine! But some people on this planet have to work to support your shopping habits!" He walked through the glass doors, greeted by the receptionist and right into one of the free waiting elevators.

"_Are you implying I'm shopping too much? What else am I supposed to do when you are never here?" _

"Have some fun with your boy toy, maybe?", Jane muttered under his breath, knowing it wasn't just said in the off-hand way. He'd smelled some other man's perfume and found a shirt that definitely didn't belong to him last time he came back to his apartment in New York.

"_This is enough Patrick, I'm not going to put up with this crap anymore. I'm done with you!" _

The elevator doors pinged open, leading him directly to his bosses office on the roof top. Since a great part of the building was glazed, he could see the beautiful skyline of Los Angeles and the sea, a shimmering line at the horizon.

Jane sighed, hearing his girlfriend throwing unfriendly scolding's towards him through the phone. "Just make sure to take all your stuff with you, Erica. I don't want to see anything that's left from you when I come home."

"_That's it, Patrick?! After all we've been through?" _

"You mean after I gave you money, when your dating company failed to pay your depts? Or after you needed new outfits for random upper class parties? Or are you talking about what we've been through, after I found out you've been on me right before you moved in? Oh, we've been through a lot Erica. You're done? That's good, because I am too. Make sure to throw your key into the mailbox after you leave."

"_No, Patrick, you can't just…"_

He didn't wait for her to finish before he hung up his cell phone. "Women!", he cursed. Looking right up, he saw the gaze of Walter Mashburn's petite redheaded secretary lingering on him. Jane gave her an excusing smile, putting the phone back into his pocket. "Present ladies excluded of course, Miss Sarah. Tell me, why are women these days so easy to please? Where is the challenge? Give them a credit card and some bling-bling and they eat out of your hand."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Jane, but I don't think I'm the right person to answer this question…"

"Oh don't be shy, Sarah, go on. Tell me what you think."

"Uhm… maybe you're looking for the wrong kind of woman. A relationship means hard work and I think the right woman for you should be one to challenge you as much as you challenge her."

Jane seemed to think about her words for a few seconds, before he flashed her one of his extremely charming smiles: "Very wise words, my dear. Are you sure this is the right job for you? Anyways… Do you know if Mr. Mashburn is available right now?"

Sarah smiled back at him, buzzing her boss inside the office and asking if he had time to receive a visitor. "Sir, Mr. Jane is asking for you."

"_Send him right in, I'm waiting for him."_

"I heard him", Jane answered quickly, going towards the heavy oak wood doors. "Mind if I help myself?" Without waiting for an answer, he pushed the door open and entered the modern office. Walter Mashburn, boss of Mashburn Avionics was awaiting him, standing at the window and watching outside.

"I thought I told you to meet me yesterday morning", he said.

Jane walked over to the big glassy desk and sat down on a black leather chair. "I had a meeting with one of our clients in New York, I told you about this, Walter. Now please don't pretend you forgot."

Mashburn turned around, giving him a patronizing smile: "Patrick, just because I made you to my ambassador for the northern and eastern parts of the country doesn't mean you can do what you want."

"Did I come all the way here you so you can give me a lecture about what I can and cannot do, Walter? Please." Jane leaned back, arms crossed in front of his chest, waiting for Mashburn to finally tell him, why he had to come here all the way from NYC.

"I know you don't like California since _it_ happened, but I have a big new assignment for this company here and I need you for this. You're my best man and the only one I think I can trust with this."

"Mind if I have some tea?", he asked disinterested.

"Sure, I'll ask Sarah…"

"Don't bother her, I can help myself." He stood up and went over to a small separated kitchen area, where he set up a kettle with hot water. Mashburn followed him with a hint of annoyance on his face.

"This is really important, Patrick. Have you ever heard of "Minelli & Son"?"

"The iron manufacturer? I think I saw Virgil Minelli on one of your charities once. Seemed like a nice old man to me. What's with the company?"

Now Mashburn started to grin. He always did that when he had the feeling a deal would be good for his own company. "Well, I've heard that Minelli and Son bankrupted last week and desperately need someone to buy out their company before it's getting worse."

"Let me guess, this someone is you." Jane took a cup and poured a little milk inside, before he poured the hot tea on it.

"I'm one of many who wants to own this company either for their own advantage or to buy it, rip it, and sell the pieces to increase their funds. That's why I need you. I want you to persuade dear Mr. Minelli and his son that we are the best company to sell it too. I know you have certain _methods_ to persuade people. That's why I hired you."

Patrick took a sip of his tea, seeming to be very pleased with his drink. "When you hired me, Walter, you didn't have a clue who I was or what I could. I conned you into giving me this job", he said in passing.

Mashburn followed him back outside, feeling a little patronized: "Yes, you conned me. And instead of suing you, I let you have your job and made you to one of my best men. You owe me, Patrick. So, what are you saying? Do you think you'll get old Virgil Minelli into selling us his baby?"

"I always like a good challenge", he grinned and took a file Mashburn hold out to him.

"That is good, my friend, very good. I already arranged everything… How is Erica by the way?"

Jane raised an eyebrow. Mashburn was such a curious gossip girl, sometimes it annoyed him. "I don't know… A little furious maybe, because I just told her to move out of my apartment before I get home."

"So you broke up?", Mashburn asked a little panic in his voice. "This is bad."

"Yes, a few minutes ago, why? You never really cared about whether I had a girlfriend or not." Well this was interesting. He knew Walter didn't really like Erica, because she preferred Jane over him when he made her an offer.

"I arranged a dinner meeting with Minelli and Mr. Rigsby, his stepson, who told me he'd bring his fiancée along, the day after tomorrow. Now I hoped you could ask Erica to come, to charm her way into their lives, like she usually does. Actually I already told them you'd bring some lovely female company."

Jane sat his cup upon Mashburn's desk, eyeing his boss in annoyance. "Why would you do that? You know that I always separate work from private life. Just tell them I won't bring anyone."

"But it'd make our company look better if you bring a woman who pretends to get along with the future Mrs. Rigsby. I want our company to appeal to them. Tell them all they want, fulfil their needs and once we have them, we'll do what _we_ want."

"I don't need a woman at my side to do that."

Mashburn rolled his eyes: "Look, I know some pretty ladies I can call if needed. Don't worry about finding someone, I'll arrange something. Do we have a deal, Patrick? I want to have the signed contract that _Minelli & Son _is ours on my desk on Friday next week."

"I'm on, it, you can count on me." He raised, emptying the cup of tea.

"Uh… there is one other little thing you have to do before. I tried to reach you earlier and that's the reason why I expected you to meet me yesterday. I need you to go to Vegas, to seal the deal with Bajoran for me."

"The helicopter company?", Jane asked interested, "I thought you were enemies since Marie left you for him. Why would you… aaah. Right. You get his baby after he got yours."

Mashburn shrugged and pretended to read an article on his desk. Patrick Jane smiled knowingly: "Why can't you go to Vegas and look him with a triumphant smile in the eye when he signs the contract?"

"Because if I send my bagman, it'll look like I don't care a bit about his company's future."

"No, I think you don't want to go, because he still has Marie to hold on to, even if you rip him out of his money, social status and wealth."

"I just gave you a new task, Jane. Why don't you go and work your magic? Since the flight I booked for you went off one hour ago and my private jet is in use, you have to go to Vegas by car."

Jane's face darkened immediately. "You know I don't drive anymore since _it_ happened."

Mashburn gave him an apologizing smile: "I know. That's why one of my cars is awaiting you outside to bring you to your hotel and back to Vegas. The appointment with Bajoran is at 4 pm, so you'll have enough time to get there. Don't screw it up. Just so you know, the driver's name is Cho. Last time you were here you said he was a very pleasant driver."

"He doesn't talk a lot and ask stupid questions, that's why. Fine, I'll go, Walter, but you owe me now. I'll see you tomorrow evening then."

With that, the blond man stood up and walked over to the office doors, without looking back. He hated to go by car since the incident five years ago, but there was no other chance. Sure, he could charter a jet for himself, but Walter wouldn't pay for that, so he came to terms to get mentally ready for the 4 hours drive to Vegas. At least he had the Asian looking driver who minded his own business during the drive.

Jane said goodbye to Sarah, before he took the elevators downstairs. Like Mashburn told him, the fancy car was waiting right in front of the building, with the Korean leaning against the passenger's side.

"Mr. Cho", he greeted him friendly, shaking his hand, "What a pleasure to drive with you again."

"Good morning, Mr. Jane", Cho answered shortly and opened the door so Jane could get in.

"Back to my hotel and then off to Vegas please", Jane ordered, leaning back against the cream colored leather.

"As you wish", Cho mumbled and hit the gas.

In the back, Jane sighed. Life wasn't very easy at the moment, but he had to get his head clear for the new tasks like sealing the deal with Bajoran and setting up a plan to persuade Minelli and his son into giving them his company. He didn't want to get started on the mess that's await him once he got home. Hopefully Erica wouldn't break his expensive Sui Dynasty china tea set he just purchased in her wrath.

Busy one and a half weeks lay ahead of him.

* * *

Whew okay that was the first chapter and I hope you had a good time :) I really did while writing it! Some of you might have been confused a bit in the first scene, but that's normal and that's what I wanted. Did you know it was Lisbon all along? Or when did it hit you? ;)

Now if you liked it, I'd be very happy to hear what you think and maybe share some of your theories with me. So don't be afraid to write a review, they are always gladly appreciated!

I hope to see most of you guys next chapter! Thanks a lot for reading and have a nice weekend!

Also, if you want updates on my stories, like when the new chapter will be on, or just discuss some awesome The Mentalist stuff, you can follow me on Twitter. My name is "glindaloveshoes" there too.

Liefs


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I'm so sorry about the confusion with the chapters. my has been acting totally weird and it told me I updated the story and now it didn't work and then I tried again... I just hope you'll be able to read it now...

A/N: Here we go, the second chapter is up! I'm so thankful for every fav, follow and especially the reviews for the first chapter! A huge thank you to every one!

I hope you're having as much fun as I do. It's fun to imagine a whole different world, with our lovely characters and at the same time try to make them not look too OOC.

Now as you continue reading, it might be a little confusing for some of you, but for those who paid attention in the last chapter, everything will be all right. I hope you'll like what I did here.  
Now have fun :)

* * *

(2)

Las Vegas at night was a dazzling loud blur, to everyone living, visiting or working there. When the sun went down, the city woke to life, with all the casinos, shows, bars and clubs. The ones who visited Sin City for the first time would be blinded by the lights and false promises, but once you saw behind the walls, Las Vegas was more than glitter and glamour. Like Los Angeles, many people came here to follow their dreams, just to realize they failed after the money was gone and people started to show their real face.

Since Patrick Jane didn't have any trouble with money, he could confidently overlook this fact. The deal with Bajoran went very well. As Mashburn predicted, the Russian felt offended by the fact he sent an ambassador to seal the deal with his company.

Jane hadn't felt any pity, when he stepped out of the office, a winning smile on his face. Although he knew how it felt like to lose the thing you love most, it gave him an incredible pleasure to take things away from others. I lost mine, so I want you to lose yours too. If one asked him, he'd deny it.

Driving through Vegas in the back of Mashburn's car, with Cho at the wheel, he watched the scenery. They drove across the little statue of the Eiffel Tower, and other miniature sights all over the world and more Casinos than he could count.

Jane had been in Las Vegas before, but his schedule had been so busy, he never got to taste the magical nightlife people described here. Not since _it _happened anyways.

Of course he went to one or two casinos at the time, but it'd only been to dine at the restaurants with business partners. They were on their way back to the hotel Mashburn had reserved for them, when he felt like changing his plans for tonight.

"You know, Mr. Cho… I'm in the mood for celebrating the new win for Mashburn Avionics. I don't think Mr. Mashburn would have a problem, if we go out and have some fun tonight. Do you know any good and classy clubs or bars around here? A casino would be interesting, too."

"Do I look like a tour guide?", Cho asked with a little sarcasm in his voice, but turned the car at the next crossing. Jane just smiled.

* * *

The "Red Mill" wasn't as busy today as on weekends, but the strip club was still crowded with all different kind of people. From a few upper class tourists, over guys celebrating a Bachelor party, horny male students who were on spring break, down to a few businessmen and some lone figures that came here often. Even women came here, enjoying the good music and atmosphere of the club.

The mood was boisterous, the music was loud. The amount of alcohol going over the bar each night was higher than in every other club. People cheered, when the curtain of the stage opened and a tall, dark haired woman came out, only dressed in a short police woman outfit, with a matching hat.

She went along the stage, swinging her hips in a lascivious demanor. For those who tried to touch her, she gave them a wicked wink and a pat on the fingers with her bat. Arriving in the middle of the stage, she threw the hat into the crowd, revealing shoulder long straight hair, getting huge applause and whistling from the men in the room.

"My, Lorelei is putting on a show tonight", Lola mumbled to her blonde haired friend who was cleaning some of the beer glasses in the sink behind the bar. She put some peanuts inside her mouth and rolled with her eyes. "I wonder who the lucky guy is she chooses to bring up to her room tonight."

"Frankly I don't care", the blonde haired petite women behind the bar said annoyed. She had better things to do than talking about that bitch.

"Oh, I see someone got up on the wrong side of the bed today. What's up, Tammy? Why are you here anyways? I thought Ally had the shift tonight…"

"Ally's got a bun in the oven, so she won't be able to work here any longer", Tammy said.

Lola's eyes widened in fear. They both knew what that meant since such things happened from time to time in the business here. "Poor thing… What do you thing they'll be doing with her?"

"I honestly don't want to think about it", she answered. Most of the times, they never saw the girl again. She drew beer into three glasses and gave them to the already drunk looking young guy who told her a few minutes ago it was his 21st birthday today.

"I always told her to be careful, but Ally was one to do it without a condom if she got ten more bucks out of it. She wanted to get out here so badly…" Lola took a sip of her rainbow colored drink and waited until Tammy finished two more orders at the bar. "This is only another warning for us to be even more careful. Never do it without protection, when you're out on the streets as Trixi, you hear me?"

Tammy nodded dutifully. There were rules you had to stick to, even if you were a hooker, she'd learned that early. That included more than three condoms wherever you went, a monthly check up at the doctor and being overly careful. She wished she wouldn't have to do any of this, but fate had put her into this kind of situation and until she got out, she had to stick to the rules.

The blonde woman gazed at Lola out of the corner of her eye. She didn't know her real name, just that she was Lola, the same way she was Tammy the bar girl or Trixi the hooker. Luckily her acting and dancing had been so bad, she didn't have to do the stripping thing in the club.

"How may days do you have left?", Tammy asked. She knew Lola would be gone soon, one of the few ones who made it until the end and leave all this as a free woman. At least that was what she hoped.

"Ninety three. And I count every minute of it", Lola answered with a smile, "Don't you worry, the time will come where you'll get out of here too. You just have to stay strong." Tammy didn't answer, just stared at the black wood of the bar. "Well, time is up, honey. Lorelei is finished and I have to look for some hot guys I can do a lap dance for. I'll see you later."

With that, the pink haired woman left the bar and vanished in the crowd. Sighing, Tammy took her glass and emptied the rest of the drink into the sink. It was past twelve already, too bad she had three hours left, followed by a short round as Trixi, to pick someone up for the night.

Sometimes she just wished she could crawl into bed and sleep for 24 hours, without having to worry about anything. But time didn't stand still, and she needed all the extra money she could get, so she could finally do what she wanted by the time she got out of here.

"Excuse me, Miss, do you have tea here?"

Tammy looked up, a confused expression on her face. On the seat where Lola had been sitting a few minutes ago, sat a tall, blonde good looking man in a dark suit with a black a tie. He didn't seem drunk to her, no drugs either, so why the heck would he ask about tea in a _strip club_?! Maybe it was some kind of weird bet he lost?

"I'm sorry, I think I misunderstood your order", she said.

The man smiled understanding. The music was really loud and that poor girl seemed more than tired as he could see. "I was asking for tea. Do you have some?"

"As in ice tea?", the woman asked, but he shook his head. This guy was kidding her, right?

"No tea as in a cup with hot water, a shot of milk and a little bag with some dried leaves that make the water tasteful."

"I know what tea is!", Tammy exclaimed annoyed. She hated it if people tried to explain any kind of drink to her. Did the man think she was an idiot? Of course she knew what _tea _was! The fact that confused her was just that a guy like him was asking for tea in a location like this at twelve pm in the night.

Jane suppressed a laugh and enjoyed the barkeeper's reddened face. "That's a good thing. Now do you have tea, or not? Otherwise I'd like a whiskey. The best you have."

"Well, that is something I can deal with", Tammy said in relief, turned around and opened a drawer with a combination lock. It seemed like the "good stuff" was safely locked up, so no drunkards could get to it.

She poured a double shot into the crystal glass and pushed it over the bar. The blonde man took a sip, raising his eyebrows. "What?", the barkeeper girl asked, "If you don't like it, you still have to pay for it. This is the best we have and you wanted the best."

"Woah, easy girl. I didn't say I didn't like it. Actually, I'm surprised it's that good." If someone wanted the good stuff, they'd get it, especially if they looked like money didn't matter. Tammy gave him a look and served three other customers, before she turned back to the handsome businessman, finding out he was gone.

"Well that was weird", she mumbled. If she didn't know better, that guy had tried to flirt with her. Not that she wasn't used to people at the club flirting with her when she was standing at the bar, but that whole thing with the tea? Whatever.

"Oh my God, Tammy!" The woman in question looked up, seeing a tall blonde haired stripper attending the bar. She wore nothing but a pink silk lingerie combination and feathers in her short hair.

"Summer", Tammy said, pouring her a shot of Tequila, "I didn't know you were here tonight." The woman was about same age as her and part of the club for two months. Lorelei'd picked Summer up on the street one day and told Tammy to keep an eye on her. Sine then, the two women became somewhat like friends. It turned out Summer had been a hooker ever since her mother had thrown her out at the age of sixteen, because she'd been raped by her step father.

_Poor girl_, Tammy thought, _instead of helping her they pushed her away and let fate take over._ Fate could be cruel, she knew that. She'd experienced it so many times she forgot to count them all. The only difference between her and Summer was the fact the other woman seemed to be happy with her situation. She liked the attention by men, the shifts in the club or out on the street. Summer was content, whereas Tammy wished nothing more but to finally get away from here, to finally be free.

"Have you seen that super cute Asian guy at the table over there?"

Tammy looked around, but the place was so crowded, she only caught a glimpse of him. "Well yeah… kinda. What's it with him?"

Summer's eyes sparkled like the ones of a little school girl. She drank the shot and waved for another one. "It's nothing. I just think he's cute, but he didn't even look at me when I came to him. He's with a friend… or his boss I don't know. Maybe someone will get luck tonight." She waggled with her eyebrows and drank the other shot in one big swallow.

Tammy couldn't but smile about the woman's attitude. She seemed to be perfectly happy with her job. "Oh and I forgot to tell you I overheard a conversation with Lorelei on the phone. _He's_ here tonight!"

"Who?", the barkeeper girl asked confused.

"Red John", Summer whispered excited, before she got up and went towards the direction of the Asian looking guy in the back of the club. Just then the lights went out for another show with Lorelei, the "highlight" of the evening. This time she did a martini glass strip dance under the eyes of over a hundred horny men.

Sighing, Tammy looked away and got busy with serving customers and cleaning up parts of the bar, while her thoughts ran around the new Summer told her. Red John was here. It was weird to know he could be watching her, although she'd never seen him. Did Lorelei tell him what she did today? For a second she looked up, letting her eyes wander around to see if anyone was watching her, but the visitors were all too busy with Lorelei.

The man that decided over her destiny might be in this room and she didn't know him. A thought occurred to her. Hopefully it wasn't the weird blond guy who'd asked her for tea instead of alcohol first. Later she would realize how wrong she was and that this man would change her destiny indeed.

* * *

Jane watched the scene in front of him with a big smile on his face, while the blonde stripper tried to get Cho's attention for what it seemed like two hours now. The Korean's face remained cold as ice and without showing any kind of emotion. That poor girl really had the hots for him. He took a sip of his tasteful whiskey and leaned back in the chair.

His chauffeur had been quite right; this club was an interesting place to "celebrate". It was a mix of a strip, dance and burlesque club with some high class strippers and a sassy barkeeper. He smiled over the fact he'd been able to confuse the petite green eyed woman a little. He hadn't meant to do this on purpose, but she seemed a little tired and sad, so bringing her mind to other thoughts seemed to be a good idea. Oh, and her eyes, her wonderful emerald green eyes were something he'd wanted to get lost in.

From the place where he sat, he could watch her without being seen. He'd successfully gotten rid of two stripper ladies who'd finished their lap dance and gotten a generous tip, with the request to look for another man who was more desperate to get lucky tonight.

After Cho pushed the stripper girl away for the umpteenth time, she gasped offended and finally went off. Just then, Jane caught him stare at her for not longer than the blink of an eye. "You know, Cho… I wouldn't mind if you had some fun with her tonight. She seems a little sad you rejected her."

"Not my type", Cho mumbled, but Jane knew she was. Still, if the Asian didn't want to, he wouldn't push it. A quick look on the watch told him it was almost past three. They'd have to get back to LA by tomorrow noon, so they should call it a night and get some sleep – especially Cho, who'd be driving.

The Asian man nodded in silent, when Jane raised an eyebrow and got up. They walked towards the exit and Jane threw a last glance towards the bar only to find that the green eyed blonde woman was already gone. Well that was a pity, but he wouldn't get to see her ever again anyways, so…

Walking outside and around the block through an alley in the back of the building towards the space where Cho parked the car, they suddenly heard a loud scream. Not too far, they could hear two persons struggling, one of them a woman, who desperately tried to get away. But the man was holding her pressed against the wall of the back entrance of the "Red Mill".

"Help… Please… Lemme… Argh!" He hit her hard so her hear crashed against the hard brick stone wall.

Cho and Jane didn't lose any more time. They ran over to the blonde woman who turned out to be the stripper that'd tried to get under Cho's skin. While the Korean hit the drunk so hard in the face one could hear bones crush, the businessman knelt down to comfort the stripper who was lying on the floor, her once shiny blonde hair reddened with blood.

"Miss, are you all right? What is your name?"

She moaned in pain, barely being able to open her eyes. "It's Summer… It hurts…"

"I know", Jane said, pulling off his jacket to comfort her head with it. Summer gasped, closing her eyes painfully and touched her forehead with her hand. "We need an ambulance", he said.

"I'm already on it", Cho answered, dialling 911. His face showed an expression of worry and something Jane couldn't define. Seven Minutes later, the ambulance arrived.

Summer had a hard time staying conscious and when the paramedics lay her down on the stretcher, she went out completely.

"Oh my god, what is happening here?", a voice behind Jane, who was watching the paramedics loading Summer into the ambulance, exclaimed. He turned around to see a petite red head with a black leather skirt and a sexy dark green and silver corsage that fitted with her silvery overknee heel boots. "Summer!"

"Your friend is going to be okay", Jane tried to calm her down. He held her back with a hand around her hip, when the woman tried to reach her friend.

"Let me go you idiot, she's my friend, I have to help her!", Trixi screamed, pushing away Jane's hand. "What did you to do her?"

"We didn't do anything. She was attacked by an aggressive guy that was drunk off his ass. We arrived just in time to prevent anything worse and called an ambulance." He pointed over to Cho, who was still watching the unconscious stripper in the ambulance, while a paramedic asked him questions.

Just then Trixi realized that this must be the Asian guy Summer had the hots for and the man next to her… was the tea-guy. She hoped he wouldn't recognize her and stepped up next to the Asian man.

"Is she going to be all right?", Trixi asked with a little fear in her voice.

"At the moment it looks like she has a heavy concussion, but we have to check her up at the hospital for more. Does anyone want to accompany her to the hospital?", the paramedic asked.

Tammy was about to say yes, but she had to report the incident to Lorelei first, otherwise Summer would be in trouble and the ambulance couldn't wait. "I… I can't", she whispered, "I'll come to the hospital. Where are you bringing her?"

"Tammy?" Summer's voice came out of the ambulance and the small woman seemed to be even more desperate since she didn't know what to do.

Cho exchanged a look with Jane, who nodded in agreement. He knew his chauffeur felt kind of responsible for the blonde woman and regretted his cold behavior earlier the night. "I'll go with her", the Korean said determined, threw the car keys over to Jane who caught them in surprise and stepped into the ambulance, leaving Trixi with an astonished look on her face.

"Don't worry", Jane said when the paramedics closed the door, "He'll take care of her, I promise."

The ambulance drove off with blue lights and vanished around the corner into the noise and lights of Vegas. Trixi and Jane were left in the dark alley. The businessman fiddled with the car keys. He didn't really know what to do, since he didn't drive cars anymore. Of course Cho didn't know that. Even in this special situation, he'd rather take a cab or walk to the hotel instead of picking up the car.

A quick glance to the woman beside him, showed him she was shaking. "Summer is going to be okay. Do you know if she has a health insurance?"

The red head shook her head. "I don't know. I guess she does, since we get checked up at the hospital once a month. You should better be getting off this alley here. It's not a place for rich men in suits."

For a second Jane felt a little offended, but when he looked into her honest green eyes, he knew she was just worried. He gasped, when he recognized her eyes as the ones of the barkeeper girl. She'd had blonde hair, hadn't she? Maybe this was just a coincidence… no. It was definitely her. But what was she doing here in this dark place dressed up like a hooker? Oh. _Oh!_

"Thank you for your help. I'll better go and tell my boss what happened, so they won't worry why she didn't come back from her break. Good night."

Trixi smiled at him and went inside, while Jane stood there watching her go. His mind felt a little dizzy. That must have been the Whiskey, not the intoxicating smile of the young girl. He wondered what happened in her past that made her become… _this_. Sighing, he leaned against the red brick wall and debated how he should get to the hotel. Maybe he could tell Cho he drank too much and was in no condition to drive… that would work eventually. Now he had to catch a cab – something that wasn't as easy as it seemed in Vegas.

Jane put the keys into his pocket and wanted to leave the alley, like the barkeeper-hooker-girl told him to, when the heavy metal door opened and the woman in question came out again, looking a little pissed. Well, that went fast. Didn't seem like her boss cared whether one of her friends was injured or not. He'd always been good in reading people, that's one of the reasons why he became as wealthy as he was now.

The woman in front of him was a new challenge. Her aura tempted him, she was kind of mysterious. Barkeeper and hooker at night? What would she turn out to be when daylight hit the city?

His curiosity took over, so he followed her around the block back on the high visited street. Jane lost her, when she turned around the corner, so he speed up his walk to stay on to her. It was just when he stepped around the corner, something very hard hit him on the nose, letting his lights go out for a second, before he moaned in pain and held his lightly bleeding nose.

"What the hell…"

"Oh my God!", a well known voice said apologizing, "I thought you were that creep of a guy who attacked Summer!" The businessman peeked an eye open, while Trixi stood there, hesitating whether to touch him or not.

"You have a hell of a punch, woman", he managed.

She gave him an apologetic smile and took a crumpled tissue out of her skirt pocket. "I'm so sorry… I don't have anything else. But seriously. What do you think following a woman through a dark alley like that? I told you to leave earlier!" Now she sounded a little patronizing.

He still took the used tissue from her, to press it against his nose, relieved to see it wasn't as much blood as he first thought. "Do you need some ice? I'm sure I can get you something…"

"No… I'm okay, thank you. I only want to get to my hotel and sleep now. Could you call me a cab eventually?"

"I thought your friend gave you the car keys", Trixi answered confused.

Jane raised an eyebrow, being impressed that she remembered such a small thing. This became more and more interesting. She wasn't stupid… maybe a little bit naïve. When he realized he'd been staring at her for a whole minute now without saying anything, he took a deep breath, ignoring the pain coming from his nose and gave her a smile: "I think I'm too drunk to drive."

Trixi smirked and seemed to think about something for the moment, before she answered: "Well, you know, the cab drivers here take a ridiculous amount of money for like fifteen minutes driving and I think when your friend returns from the hospital, you won't want to come here to pick up the car. Let's make a deal. I'll drive you to your hotel for… let's say five dollars and you can relax."

"You punched me in the nose and now expect me to pay for it? Why do you think I'd let you drive my car?"

"Because obviously you have a problem with driving since you only drank a glass of whiskey." She held her breath for a second as if she was punishing herself for letting such an important fact slip this easily, but continued: "No licence I guess. Now I'm the only sober person around the next fifteen blocks… and just so you know, your stupid questioning just doubled the price."

Well that woman knew how to argue, Jane had to admit with a smirk. Why should he not? It'd solve the problem with the car and he wouldn't have to struggle with idiotic Las Vegas cab drivers. "Fine", he finally said, taking the keys out of his pocket, "The car is this way. Are you sure you can drive with these?" He pointed towards her high heel boots that went over her knee

Trixi grinned and caught the keys: "You'll see. Let's go, Mr."

"You can call me Patrick. What's your name?"

"I'm Trixi." Jane eyed her for a few seconds. He could swear Summer had called her "Tammy" or something. For all he could tell, Trixi wasn't her real name, but he wouldn't ask her further, if she didn't want him to know. Maybe it was some kind of a protection thing. Whatever.

They went back into the alley, following it down to a hidden parking lot with a security guard standing in front of it. Jane pointed towards the BMW in the second row and saw the hooker's eyes lighten up with joy. "No kidding?", she asked.

"Not what you expected?" Jane seemed to be a little confused, but he had to hurry up, since Trixi already started the engine.

"I _love_ it! So which hotel are you staying at?"

"The Bellagio", he answered shortly, since she already hit the gas and drove out of the parking lot onto the streets. That woman was one hell of a driver! To his own surprise, she never went over the speed limit though and seemed to be extra careful in places where many people crossed the street.

Laughing happily, she let the windows down and turned the radio up, singing along happily. Jane had to suppress a laugh. She wasn't the worst singer he'd ever met, but it was fun to watch her scream the tones as if she was alone in the car.

"This baby is amazing", Trixi said when they had to stop at a red traffic light. "So, Mr. Patrick, what are you doing here in Sin City?"

He turned the volume of the music down a little. "I had some business to do. My driver and me arrived this noon."

"So that Asian guy is your chauffeur? Now things are getting clearer. Why would you need a chauffeur to get here? Don't you own some kind of private jet? At least that's what you look like."

Jane laughed at her honest words. "Actually, Cho is Korean. I would have taken the jet, believe me, but I'm afraid my boss needed it, so we had to take the car on this short time. We're heading back to LA tomorrow."

"Uuuh, LA it is. So you're not your own boss then?"

"I kind of am. It's complicated." He didn't know if she would understand if he tried to explain his position in Mashburn's company, but he had the feeling she was more intelligent than she made herself look like. Someone horned behind them. "It's green by the way."

This needn't said to be twice. Trixi managed to get her focus back from Jane on the street, hit the gas and left all the other cars waiting at the crossing with her behind.

He continued with observing her out of the corner of his eye, feeling happy, just because she was. What was it with this woman? He just met her and she had this big of an influence on him already.

She looked so beautiful and beamed with pride while driving the car that Jane forgot his fear for the first time since _it _happened and just enjoyed the ride. Jane hasn't had fun like this in a long time.

* * *

A/N: Yay they finally met! I hope you enjoyed the chapter! I admit, the Tammy/Trixi thing might have been a little confusing in the first place, but I hope I won't give too much away when I tell you, that you'll meet Teresa in the next chapter ;)

Now I'm really interested in what you think about this. How did you like the first meeting between Jane and Lisbon? Did the little Chummer scene cheer you up? What do you think is _it?_

I wish every one of you guys a good night! Only 9 days left *_*


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Hello you guys! Thank you all so much for the reviews for the last chapter! I'm still very sorry for the confusion and the fact most of you didn't get alerts. I hope this time it works.  
Special thanks also to totorsg and Nerwen, who are so kind and always beta my chapters :) The last 2 weeks have been a little rough and next week university starts, but I hope I can continue on posting a chapter every 7 days. As some of you might have recognized, the chapters for this story are a little shorter than for Under Covers, but I thought you might rather like shorter chapters and quicker updates than one long chap in what feels like a month.

Oki doki, I hope you enjoyed the premiere on Sunday night - I can't wait for episode two! Lots of fun with the new chapter :)

* * *

(3)

When they arrived at the main entrance of the Bellagio, Trixi stopped the car with squeaking tires. "This was fun", she grinned happily and got out, throwing the keys at the man who was already waiting to bring the car to the hotel's own parking lot.

"Good evening, Sir. Miss…" the night guard dipped his hat and greeted them formally.

"It's almost morning", Trixi laughed and turned around to Jane, who shut the door of his car, waiting for it to drive off.

"It is indeed almost morning. We spent over half an hour driving through Vegas. I'm not sure if you chose the direct path to the hotel."

The hooker grinned sheepishly: "Well, your car was fun! Stop pretending you didn't have fun too. At least you got to see some of Vegas at night now. By the way, you still owe me ten dollars for driving you here."

Jane smirked knowingly. Of course she wouldn't forget about the money although she had so much fun driving his car that paying her now for it seemed a little off. Still, somehow he knew she needed the money more than he did and in a way she was right. He'd had fun too with her. He took a ten dollar bill out of his wallet and gave it to her. Trixi nodded approvingly, pushed it under the corsage at her right breast and patted it lightly.

"Thank you, for the ride, Mr. Patrick."

If he didn't know better, she seemed a little shy now, not knowing what to do next. She had to get back to the club at some point, right?

Trixi watched the businessman with mixed feelings before she cleared her throat. "I should go." It'd be better to leave now. This man wouldn't ask her for her services anyways. He wasn't that kind of man. At least that's what her instinct told her. She could tell he was glad she'd driven him here, but now that she got her money, there was nothing that made her stay.

Mr. Patrick was a nice man. One of the nicest she'd met in the last two years. He hadn't treated her like a hooker for one second until now, something she really appreciated although she knew he knew. She was just the girl from the streets who showed him the way back to the hotel – and got to ride a really cool car in advance.

"How are you going to get back? It's too long to walk to the Red Mill. Do you want me to call you a cab?" he offered.

She shook her head and pointed down the road towards the Las Vegas Boulevard. "I'll just take the bus home, it's all right, I've done that dozens of times. It was nice to meet you… and thank you for your help with Summer if you and your chauffeur hadn't been there, I don't know what would have happened..."

"My pleasure", Jane answered. Why was it so hard to say goodbye? He didn't know that woman, but he didn't want her to go and something told him she didn't want to either. He couldn't just ask her to come up, could he? It wasn't like he needed her services, but just… maybe someone to talk to would be nice.

Trixi stood there, shrugging a little awkwardly, before she finally nodded towards the street: "I'll go then… good night."

She turned around, walking down the sidewalk without looking back. Jane watched her, admiring the fact she could walk on these high heels like she wore some kind of sneakers. For a few more moments, he let his eyes linger on her gently swaying hips.

_Stop checking her out!_, he told himself and closed his eyes to concentrate on the fact that he should go inside and catch some sleep. Trixi would take the bus home and…

Wait. There was no way she'd be taking the bus at this time of the night, since there weren't any. This wasn't New York or London! She also wouldn't use the money she just got from him to pay a cab. After what happened to her friend Summer, Jane wasn't sure if he wanted her to walk around the city all on her own right now. Some drunkard could cross her way and pull her into an alley doing things he didn't want to think about with her.

Trixi wouldn't be able to defend herself; she was too small, too tiny… although her punch in the nose had been impressive. Carefully he touched his nose, that still hurt a little from the punch. This was the second time in his life a woman hit him right after he met her for the first time. The only other one had been his wife. Angela had hit him and called him a jerk the first time they met – not that he hadn't deserved it at that time. Sometimes he wished there would still be someone with him to put him in line when his mouth got too lose. A sad smile ghosted over his face. Was fate trying to send him some kind of sign? No, this was ridiculous. The connection he felt when he met Angela all these yeas ago had been incredible and overwhelming, this was different. It had to be, right? Although his head told him to let the thought go, he couldn't deny it felt similar with the little sassy hooker.

There was a connection between the two of them, he could feel it. An aura of sadness and discomfort with the way their life was going lay between them. In all the time he'd been with Erica, he'd never felt so happy and careless like at the 30 minutes ride from the "Red Mill" to the hotel. After all that happened tonight, Jane finally felt like he didn't want to be alone for the rest of the night. Now he did what he should have done when she was still standing here with him.

"Trixi!", he shouted, speeding up his walk down the sidewalk, following the same path she went. She was already out of his sight. "Trixi?" Where was she? Did something happen to her? Damn it, he should have called a cab for her or never let her go in the first place.

"What is wrong, Mr. Patrick?" A voice in the shadows asked. Jane turned around and saw her sitting on a bench, knees drawn close to her body. "Did you accidentally give me a hundred instead of a ten dollar bill?"

She seemed a bit confused over the relief in his eyes, when he finally recognized her and came closer. This man was weird. Their whole evening had been a mess. First the conversation at the bar, then the thing with Summer, the moment she punched him because she thought he was following her and in the end their conversation in front of the hotel where non of them knew what to say. Why was he following her now?

The worried expression on his forehead relaxed immediately. "There you are. I thought you wanted to take the bus."

She eyed him suspiciously: "I don't see why that is any of your business, but I didn't feel like bus driving now. I wanted to be alone." And she did. She hadn't planned on getting back to the "Red Mill" any time soon, let the others think she had a client and take the night off. It wasn't like anyone cared what she was doing as long as she did the shifts at the club and paid her "rent" to Red John.

Jane sighed, sitting down next to her on the bench. "That's a shame, you know. A lovely woman like you shouldn't walk around a big city like this at night. You never know what kind of people are running around here."

She raised an eyebrow. Why would he care about creepy pervs hiding in a corner waiting for someone like her to come along? He didn't know she was safe in most parts of the city, since people knew Red John was her chaperon. Only idiots tried to have their way with his hookers, like that drunk idiot who'd hit on Summer. Still, the thought of anyone actually caring about her wellbeing was a feeling she thought she'd long lost. "You mean besides handsome businessman?"

"You think I'm handsome?" he asked with a smirk. Trixi rolled her eyes and stood up.

"Of course of all things I said to you tonight, you'd only remember the "handsome". Men are so easily to predict. Was there any particular reason you came after me except for my "lovely" company?" She put the "lovely" in brackets with her fingers, since she didn't think that was the fitting adjective for a hooker like her.

Jane didn't like the fact that she was annoyed with him. Instead of teasing her any further, he just blurted it out. "How much do you want?"

Trixi raised an eyebrow: "What are you talking about?"

"I want you to stay with me tonight." Her jaw dropped surprised and for a moment it felt like she was at a loss for words. He wanted her to stay for the night? Mr. Patrick didn't look like someone who'd ask a hooker to come up to his hotel room, so why the sudden change in his behavior. Maybe she'd misjudged him. That happened; from time to time even her gut feeling betrayed her. Why did she even care? She'd planned on taking off the night, but this guy promised to be a good catch, so why let this chance pass?

"Two hundred dollars."

"Okay", Jane answered immediately. He'd have paid any price.

"Are you serious?" Trixi asked excited since she'd expected him to say no.

"Of course I am. Now come on. Please take my jacket. It's starting to cool down for the night and I don't want you to freeze." He laid his jacket over her shoulders, surprised how small she actually was. The woman gave him a look, before she pulled the heavenly smelling piece of fabric closer around her body.

"It's never really cold in Vegas. You just don't want the people in the hotel to get the wrong impression of you", she stated, although she didn't mind wearing the still warm and comfortable piece of fabric.

"You should know that I honestly don't care what other's think of me, my dear. I don't want the people at the hotel getting the wrong impression of _you_. Now let's go."

* * *

Jane guided her through the front entrance into the lobby, which ceiling was equipped with over thousand lit glass flowers right over the check in. "This ceiling was done by America's best glass artist Dale Chihuly. Incredible, huh?" he asked when he saw Trixi staring at the colourful glass art.

"It's beautiful… like a garden with lots of wild flowers. I've never seen anything like this." He let her watch for another minute, before he gently pushed her forward with a hand on her back. They walked across the fancy waiting area with the Persian carpets and embroidered seats towards the reception, where a woman with a bright smile on her face greeted them.

Jane stepped forward to talk to the janitor, while Trixi was still looking around, overwhelmed by the wealth that surrounded her. She'd never been to this kind of hotel before. To be honest, she felt so out of place like duck in the middle of a swan lake. Was one even allowed to sit on the expensive seats with the ornaments? This hotel even smelled like heaven. _Welcome to the world of rich and famous for one night only_, she thought grinning and watched Jane at the janitor's desk.

"I'd like some champagne and strawberries for the penthouse suite please."

"Of course, Mr. Jane", the janitor answered friendly. She threw Trixi a quick glance, not showing her disapproval of his company officially. "Have a good night, Mr. Jane."

The businessman nodded, before he turned around and went over to the elevators, Trixi following him slowly. She heard the janitor do a dismissive sniff and turned around to stick out her tongue in a childish manner. The woman gave her a shocking glare, shaking her head with puckered lips. After they were safe inside the elevator, she threw him a glance. "What?" he asked.

"Nothing, the lady at the janitor's desk needed to be reminded of her position", she winked, "I just thought it was predictable for a man in your position to stay in the penthouse suite."

"Well, for the one hand it's only for one night and for the other, the penthouse isn't the most expensive suite of the hotel. I might not be as predictable as you think, my dear."

The elevator doors opened and Jane laid a hand on her back to guide her out into the hallway. He opened the door for her and switched on the light, waiting for Trixi's reaction, but it didn't come the way he suggested. She had a hard time to not freak out over the room and dropped Jane's jacket over a chair at the dining area.

"Nice", was the only thing she managed to say.

"You almost sound like Cho." Jane was please to see that his order already arrived in his room. A bottle of champagne in a cooler, two glasses and a silvery bowl with fresh red strawberries sat upon the glassy table.

While Trixi inspected the hotel room, the businessman opened the champagne and filled one of the two glasses. He loosened his tie, took one of the sweet round strawberries and went over to her. "Here."

She turned around, refusing to take the glass of champagne. "I'm sorry, I don't drink… But I'd like the strawberry." Just when he thought she couldn't surprise him anymore, he was totally taken aback by her statement. She worked in a bar, she was a hooker… and she didn't drink? This was an interesting turn of events.

"Uhm… sure. I won't make you, if you don't want to…" Trixi looked at him with her innocent green eyes, taking a bite of the delicious strawberry. They were so excellent; drops of juice ran down her fingers and the corner of her mouth. She tried to catch them with her tongue, not knowing what this picture did to the man standing in front of her, who emptied the glass of iced champagne in one swift swallow to cool down.

"I really love fresh fruit, thank you." The hooker stepped around him and went over towards the big white couch, waving Jane to join her. By the time he arrived, she'd gotten rid of her over knee heels and held more than ten different little tiny packages in his face. "Just for you to know, I'm not doing it without a condom. No kissing on the mouth either. If you want me to call you names, this costs extra, so do role play games. So, which one do you want? I've got lots of different flavors, dotted, ribbed, internal ribbed, studded, ultra thin, ultra thick, glowing… Which size do you need?"

Patrick Jane wasn't easily caught off guard, but Trixi's little passionate announcement did it. "You… you have glowing condoms?" he asked taken aback. She wasn't serious, right?

"The glowing Star Wars lightsaber it is", she sighed, threw the right little package on the couch between them and put the others on the floor next to her. "Where do you want to do it? Couch, bed, floor, shower, dining table?" She scooted over to him, attending on opening up the buttons of his shirt.

"Woah, woah, whoa, wait!", Jane said, pushing away her hands. "I asked you to stay with me tonight, not to… sleep with me."

"Well what else do you suggest we do?" she asked confused. A little anger mixed in her voice. She wasn't used to being rejected by men, especially not if they ask her to stay the night.

"How about we talk?" he said calmly, "Or watch TV… there are so many possibilities."

"You are a very weird man, Mr. Patrick, but fine. As long as you pay me I won't complain. You're the first one ever, who wants to talk with me, though I'm afraid I don't have anything interesting to tell about my life." Trixi shrugged and leaned back in the soft cushions of the couch.

"Oh, I think there is lots of interesting stuff to tell… like the fact you don't drink because your mother was killed by a… drunk driver and your father tried to drown his sorrow in alcohol so you had to grow up and take over too much responsibility at a very young age."

Her jaw dropped. He hit right home with this. How the hell did he know? She never told anybody, not even her friends. This man must have been spying on her or something, or even worse… was _he_ Red John? Not feeling comfortable at all with the situation, Trixi tried to calm down with a few deep breaths. "Are you some kind of psychic or what?" She crossed her arms in front of her chest, taking in a very defensive position. Jane gave her an apologizing smile. He'd frightened her a little with his abilities. After all this time he forgot how afraid people got if someone knew things that were supposed to be secrets.

"There is no such thing as psychics, my dear, so you don't have to worry. I used to be a fake psychic one upon a time, made money by pretending to let people communicate with the other side, but it's all been fake. I used to be many things I'm not and I'm not proud of it at all… So if you're wondering how I knew these things about you, I'm just good at reading people and paying attention, that's all. This is why I know that you are Tammy the barkeeper girl and Trixi the hooker. I'm sorry if my forwardness offended or feared you. I'm interested in what's the real you."

Trixi gave him an insecure look, but her body language told him she relaxed a little. Whatever it was that frightened her, she must have persuaded herself to trust him with his answer. "Well if you can read me so well, why don't you tell _me_ what you already know?"

"Because I want to hear it from you. I haven't really _talked_ in a while. My girlfriend…"

The hooker raised an eyebrow: "You've got a girlfriend? A fine man you are…"

"I must correct myself, _ex_-girlfriend – we actually broke up this morning – was good in talking nonsense about shoes and money, but nothing really interesting. That's why she bored me. That and may other things."

Trixi leaned back and eyed him. She only met this guy a few hours ago, why would she tell him about her life as a hooker? Honestly, did he really think she would trust him just like that? "Listen, Mr. Patrick…"

"Just Patrick is fine. Forget the Mister, we're alone.

"Fine, _Patrick_. I'm not good at this… at sharing things about myself, talking about problems… and it seems to me like you're not either. I don't care if you have a girlfriend…"

"_Ex-girlfriend_", he interrupted her, "I'm not one to cheat." But she waved the thought aside and continued.

"…or if you were married with five children." The mentioning of kids let his face darken for a second. "So I'm fine if you don't want my services, but could we please let this I-wanna-get-to-know-you-crap be what it is? How about just watching TV for the rest of the night?"

Jane considered his chances for a while, nodding in agreement. Maybe it was the best. He just wanted some company for the night anyways; he didn't want to be alone. Since their whole conversation in his suite had been more than awkward, TV would be fine. "Do you want some popcorn for while you're watching?"

Trixi's smile brightened up: "Thanks, I got the strawberries!" She threw one of the king sized pillows on the floor and laid down in it with her stomach, waiting for the TV to be turned on. The businessman couldn't hide a smile on his face.

He zapped through the channels, waiting for Trixi's approval, until she finally nodded when the reached an old black and white comedy he'd never seen. Jane never watched a lot of TV although he knew the classics, since his wife loved them…

The lump forming in his throat was washed away when the woman lying on the floor started laughing so lightly and sweet, he almost couldn't believe she was that kind of girl who lost everything.

"Oh my god, this is hilarious! They are totally in love but they keep on arguing all the time", she giggled. Patrick just smiled, shaking his head at the two main characters. He didn't pay attention at all to the movie, it was more interesting to watch the little redhead having fun, laughing and eating the bowl of strawberries.

A few minutes before the movie ended, Trixi yawned and turned her head to see what he was doing. She realized he'd been watching her instead of the movie, so she shifted her body to the side, to look at his darkened eyes. He didn't say anything when she got up on her knees, crawling over to the couch where he was sitting.

Wordlessly, she opened the belt of his trousers and slipped a hand under his shirt. "You look so much better without a tie", she whispered, starting to button up his shirt, revealing the white skin of his stomach.

"We shouldn't do this", he mumbled, his voice hoarse and full of tension.

"I'll do what you want me to do", she answered. Trixi bent town, to pull his trousers and pants down, but Jane held her hand, shaking his head.

"You should go to sleep. It's been an exhausting day for you… You can have the bed, I'll sleep on the couch." He stood up, waving with his hand towards the bathroom to signal her she could go first. Hesitantly, the hooker stood up, giving him an awkward glance, before she ushered towards the bathroom door, slamming it shut behind her.

Who the hell did this guy think he was?! Asking a hooker to come up to his room, wanting to "talk" rather than having sex and when she made an attempt on changing his mind, this idiot rejected her! She'd seen the look he gave her and this was not a look saying "stop". He'd wanted her to continue, but for some weird reason he stopped her. Growling, she slipped out of her skirt and corsage and threw one of the white fluffy bathrobes with the hotel's emblem around her body. There was no way she would feel comfortable in the next room if she was naked.

She couldn't wait for this stupid night to be over!

* * *

A/N: I hope you had fun with this one hehe :) I'm honest when I googled the web for all sorts of condoms and found the glowing one, I just couldn't resist ;) Now what did you think of the story? Did you like how Jane and Lisbon met and how he asked her to stay for the night? I appreciate every single review :) ... and don't worry, you will get your M-rated chapters later hehe ^^  
Liefs


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Hey guys! Woah thank you all so much for your reviews to the last chapter! It's finally time for you to meet "Teresa" in this one :) I'm so thankful for all your continued support and very sorry this chapter took again somewhat over 2 weeks, but university started... You all know this feeling, right? Since I'm spending 3 hours per day in the train from now on, I hope to be able to write some scenes in there, but I hope you'll excuse if it takes me longer than a week.  
Now... this new season is mind blowing! And I can't wait until we get to see who Red John is. We all have our theories, right? ;) I really hope it's Haffner. The scene in the hospital with him and Lisbon totally freaked me out! :D  
Enough of this! I wish you lots of fun with the new chapter! If you're looking out for another great story, please check out Nerwen Aldarion's new story "You're In My Veins" it's totally awesome!

Thanks to the lovely totorsg and Nerwen for their betaing :)

* * *

(4)

Jane hadn't slept for more than two hours on the quite comfortable couch in his hotel room, when he was woken up by a noise coming from the area where the bed was located. Yawning, he pushed his elbows up, to look over the backrest of the couch, seeing nothing unusual, except for the small woman in his bed.

A glance at his watch told him it was only past seven and yesterday he had agreed to meet with Cho around ten in the lobby to go back to LA. The noise came again and this time he stood up, slowly stepping around the couch and walking over to the bed. The blinds of the room weren't closed, so the early morning sun lightened it up in a soft shade of orange and red.

Trixi was wrapped in one of the hotel's bathrobes, wrapped tightly around her petite frame, the blanket tangled around her. She seemed to be struggling with it in her sleep, trying to kick it off and push it away, so Jane decided to help her and pulled it off. "Don't", she mumbled, "I don't want this… Don't touch me."

"I'm not touching you", the businessman answered confused but realized she must be still asleep. Her face looked worried, her forehead frowning. "Poor thing", he mumbled and carefully touched her shoulder. "You're safe with me."

Jane discovered with surprise that she wasn't wearing the red wig anymore. Her long wavy hair in the color of dark chocolate was resting in her shoulders and her heavily breathing torso. Slowly, he put the blanket over her frame, waiting for her breathing to calm down. She must have had some kind of nightmare.

He brushed a strand out of her face, watching her innocent beauty for a while in the light of rising sun, when he caught the alarm of her phone going off in the corner off his eye. The phone started to vibrate, but Jane set it off, hoping to be able to give her some much needed sleep before she had to get up.

Maybe he would call Cho and wait until she was awake and had breakfast. He also needed to know how things turned out with the blonde woman named Summer they saved yesterday. Seeing Trixi snuggling back into the blankets triggered a pang in his chest. He didn't know why, but this woman deserved better than she did right now… and he was determined to help her.

With a smile on his lips, he rushed into the bathroom to take a super hot shower that would help him prepare for the upcoming long day.

* * *

It was past nine when he sat at the dining table with a huge breakfast, reading the newspaper, hearing the rustling of blankets and tapping of blank feet behind his back.

"Good morning", he said without turning around. The steps stopped for a second like she was debating on what to do or say next, but she went with a soft "Good Morning" herself.

"Have a seat and some breakfast", Jane ordered, putting the news on the site, "I ordered plenty of food since I don't know what you like. Would you like tea or coffee?"

"Coffee", Trixi answered, her cheeks a little blushing. She sat down on the free seat next to Jane, taking a blank piece of toast and nibbled on it. Jane put a cup of fresh brewed coffee in front of her.

"I added a little milk and one piece of sugar… You should try the strawberry jam on one of the croissants; it's homemade and very delicious. I hope you had a good night?" She nodded and saw with surprise, how he took the liberty on taking the piece of toast out of her hand and putting the recommended croissant and jam on her plate.

"Uh… thank you?" It sounded more like a question than anything else. "I'm sorry I didn't hear my alarm clock… I usually don't stay for breakfast."

Jane gave her an understanding smile: "I figured, but one time is always the first. I turned your alarm off after you had a nightmare. I thought you could need the rest. Do you want to tell me about it?"

"What?", she asked surprised blushing furiously. Trixi didn't seem to be comfortable with him knowing she had a nightmare last night, so instead of answering him, she put a big piece of croissant in her mouth and kept her eyes straight on the plate in front of her.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I just know from experience that it sometimes helps to talk about it… You didn't tell me you weren't an original red head either."

The woman almost choked on her croissant and had to take a large sip of coffee to suppress the tickle in her throat. "I'm sorry I thought you _figured_. As much as you figure _everything._"

Well he gave her that one. Seemed like the little woman wasn't a morning person, so he decided to let her have her coffee and breakfast, before he approached the topic he really wanted to talk to her about. _At least she didn't seem at loss for a witty remark in the morning_, he thought smiling.

He gave her a well deserved "Touche." and went on with reading the economic and financial news.

Trixi suspiciously watched him out of the corner of her eye, chewing the jam and croissant combination – which Jane was right really tasted good – and thinking about the man in front of her. Why was he so… _nice_ to her? She was a hooker for god's sake, scum of Las Vegas' streets! She sells her body to pleasure others, so why the heck would a rich and fine man like Patrick Jane ask her up to his hotel room, doesn't want sex, pays her for the whole night and now orders breakfast just for fun?

He said he'd turned the alarm on her phone off for god's sake, just because she had a nightmare. The hooker blushed again, trying to hide her reddened cheeks behind the big cup of freshly brewed coffee. Hell this stuff tasted like heaven.

She didn't know why she had this stupid nightmare. Sometimes they just came and usually she woke up, feeling worse than usual. This time it'd been a little different. Something had told her she was safe, followed by a feeling of warmth and comfort. Had it been him?

If she looked at him more closely, she noticed his attire from yesterday night had changed a little. He wore a dark blue three piece suit without a tie, his hair still a little damp from the shower he must have taken earlier.

"I told you you'd look better without a tie", she grinned.

"So do you without a wig", Jane answered, neither denying nor confirming if he left the tie just because he wanted to or because she suggested it yesterday. Either way he looked especially handsome and good, whereas she...

Trixi quickly finished her croissant and stood up, pushing the chair back to the table. "Uhm… thanks for the breakfast… I should go and change, I have to go soon."

"You're welcome to take a shower", he grinned. For a second she wondered if he suggested this because he wanted to join her and have his way with her after all, but she caught the mischief in his eyes and gave him one of the looks her brother's always feared when they were little. It seemed to work.

"Thanks for the offer, but I should really leave." She vanished into the bathroom, closing the door behind her back. Her clothes, the wig and small purse were lying perfectly folded next to the basin, an extra toothbrush and a towel beside it. Okay, she could think of him what she wanted, but he was actually kind of sweet.

Trixi got dressed, not bothering to out up the wig again, since Jane already knew she had brown hair – and also complimented her on it. The only thing left were her shoes, but they must still be lying next to the couch somewhere.

* * *

While she was getting dressed, Jane debated on what to do now. He had the two hundred dollar bills already lying next to his wallet, but he wasn't sure if this was the best good bye for them. After this night, the businessman wasn't sure on anything anymore and he felt something he hadn't felt on a long time.

A little bit of hope. The one who gave that to him was none other than the little woman that for the first time since _it _happened, felt challenging to him. She surprised him and even if it turned out to be nothing, he really enjoyed her company.

Perhaps he was wrong, but she didn't seem to be content with her situation either, so Jane decided to act upon a sudden impulse, determined to not only give her the money for this night, but to actually make her stay. He needed a date for the dinner with Mr. Minelli and his stepson anyways and since he didn't want to end up with one of Walter's on-call-bunnies, this seemed like a better solution to him.

Just then, Trixi emerged out of the bathroom, being all dressed up for business. He already missed her rumpled attire and sleepy eyes as well as her blushing cheeks. But if things turned out well, this wouldn't be the last time for him to see it.

Jane waited for her to put on her over-knee heels, before she stepped closer to the table, waiting for him to say something. Her gaze was already lying on the money, but her expression seemed rather bitter than happy about the cash injection.

"Before I give you the money", the blond started, "I have an offer to make. Please hear me out before you judge me or freak out or anything, okay?"

"If you think you can pay me less than on what we agreed, you are wrong!", Trixi said immediately, but Jane shook his head, pointing over to the chair opposite to him.

"This is not about the money. Well in some way it is, but I asked you to hear me out first. After yesterday night and this morning you should know I'd not make you do anything against your will. So please let me finish before you cut in."

By now he was used to the distrustful look she gave him, but her nod was the sign to continue. "What would you say if I offered you to stay with me until next Friday? I'd pay you well of course. I have to go back to LA today and there are a few occasions where a beautiful escort like you would come in handy."

Trixi's jaw dropped: "Are you serious?!" She couldn't believe he offered her something like that. It sounded too good to be true. One and a half weeks with Patrick Jane in Los Angeles, Hollywood, the city where dreams came true. The problem was just… she couldn't leave just like that. She had a contract that bonded her to work for Red John until the five years were over and as much as she knew about him, he wasn't known to let his girls off the hook this easily.

"Of course I am. What are you saying? Will you come with me?"

This sounded like her only chance to get out, but if someone recognized her, Red John would send his men after her to bring her back. Trixi knew how these things went. For a second she thought if this was a test of her boss, but one look in Patrick's sincere eyes told her it was not. Hell, she wanted to go so badly.

"I see, you're hesitating. Is it about the money? I'm willing to pay _any _price. Just tell me how much you want."

"I want five thousand dollars", she answered casually, knowing he wouldn't agree on this and she was off the hook.

"Fine. Five thousand dollars cash if you stay with me until Friday next week. Of course you'd need some appropriate clothing for the occasions, so once we're in LA, you'll have to go shopping. Don't worry I'll pay for this as well."

The hooker stood there, stunned. He couldn't be serious, could he? Why the hell would he do this, offer her an job as his escort lady, willing to pay all incoming costs? "It's not that simple, Mr. Jane… Patrick. I would really really like to go with you, but my boss…"

He seemed to be a little desperate: "I will talk to you boss and then you can come with me… please. I promise this is no trick; I would just like to enjoy your company for a little while longer. After Friday, you can go wherever you want, you don't have to see me ever again."

Oh god this sounded so tantalizing… Trixi took a deep breath, calculating the pro and cons of the offer. If she stayed, she'd have to wait until the rest of the five years were over by working as a barkeeper and hooker. But if things went well, she could earn enough money to stash away during that time, to start all over, once Red John let her go.

If she went with Patrick, she'd have three quarters of the money she needed already – including what she saved in this one year working here – and could start over earlier than she thought. Maybe go back home and visit her brothers she hadn't seen in years, telling them she'd been busy earning money and sending some of it to the oldest of her three brothers, to finance a part of his medical studies. The problem was, if she really ran off with Jane, Red John would come after her. She knew he didn't like if anyone broke the contract and although Trixi had never seen him, she feared him. If he would find out she was gone, hell would break loose. He'd have people everywhere looking out for her. The question was just if he'd be able to find her if she changed her name and attire well enough to hide from him. This was one of the reasons why nobody knew her real name.

"Trixi?", Jane asked carefully. He didn't like the crease between her eyebrows. She seemed to be thinking very hard about something. His suggestion must have overstrained her. "If this is about the money…"

"No, no it's not", she managed to say. The woman sighed and closed her eyes. _Don't be an idiot; he's not going to find out. This is your chance, so take it!_, she told herself. "I'd be happy to stay with you, Patrick." She managed to smile, trying to forget her fear of what could happen if things didn't work out.

Jane flashed her the brightest smile he had in store for her: "That's fantastic! I swear, you won't regret it. I'll have to talk things through with my driver, but we can pick you up at your house…"

"No!", she said in terror, trying to remain calm, "I mean no that's not necessary, really. I'll meet you back here. There are a few things I have to pack first though."

"Of course." He stood up and held the money out to her. "I would have paid you more, you know…"

Trixi took it and stored it safely away inside her corsage: "I would have stayed for less." The moment their eyes met was so intense; she held her breath, until the businessman broke the silence again.

"Now that you are going to stay with me for about two weeks… what shall I call you?" She raised an eyebrow, confused over his question.

"You know my name is Trixi."

Jane smiled and leaned next to her against the table: "No. There is Trixi the hooker and Tammy the barkeeper… Who are _you _my dear? Why is it that you wouldn't tell me?"

"I don't want anyone to know my name and I don't know why it would be important to you to know it. Call me what you like."

"If we are going to spend so much time together and have to convince people we are "together" in a way, it should be real. I can guess your name if you want me to."

"Please don't… Listen, I should go…" The panic in her eyes was incredible. She stood up and went over to the door, Jane following her.

"You always chose names beginning with "T" as your alias names, so I figure you real name begins with "T", too. It's nothing modern like Tatjana or Taylor, no… You're a Christian, catholic I suppose because of the cross that you are wearing about your neck." He saw her stopping at the front door, touching her necklace.

"Please…" She opened the door, walking over to the elevators, hammering on the button like her life was on the line.

"I suppose your mother was the one that taught you the religion, so it's likely you carry the name of a saint beginning with "T"… a name to be proud of… like Teresa." He watched her head and shoulders fall, while she pressed two hands hard against her face. Was she… crying? Oh no, he hadn't meant to do this, he thought she was just shy and playing with him…

The elevator doors opened, but she didn't step inside, instead, she sunk down on her knees, trying to keep her shaking body under control.

"I'm sorry, Teresa." She sobbed, when she heard him saying her name. "I… I'm sorry." He knelt down next to her, pulling her close into a comforting embrace. She didn't hug him back nor said anything, until she wiped her face dry with her hands and took a few deep breaths. This was ridiculous. She shouldn't cry just because he'd guessed her name right! But he'd just taken her off guard, because her name was something her mother had always told her to be proud of. That's why she'd changed it once she decided to go down the path Red John had offered her.

Perhaps it was better this way. A feeling told her she could trust Patrick, something she hadn't felt in a long time either. So why should she worry about him knowing her name? She wanted to change it anyways once they were in LA, so it'd be harder for someone to find her.

"I didn't think it would hurt so much to hear this", Teresa whispered, "I haven't heard someone calling my name in a long time."

"If you want to talk about it…"

Why did this man always want to _talk_? She wasn't good at talking, about her problems; running from them was much easier!

"No! No… Maybe later… I have to go now and pack my things. Can… can we meet at the hospital instead of the hotel? I want to say goodbye to Summer." Her only good friend she ever had in her time here. She owed it to the blonde sweet young woman to say goodbye and wish her luck.

For a second Teresa thought about if her friend could join them, but it was too dangerous and Summer seemed to be happy with her job… at least for now. She couldn't tell her what she was about to do, because she didn't want her to lie for her and get in trouble herself, but she wanted at least to see her one last time… if things worked out or not.

"Of course we can", Jane smiled. He was still eyeing her a little warily, because of her sudden outburst. There was more behind this story than just the fact she hadn't heard her name in a long time. He helped her up and pushed the elevator button again, so it would come and bring her down.

"If… if you don't want me to call you Teresa, I can…"

"No, it's okay… It sounds nice the way you say it. I'll meet you there around ten." The elevator doors opened and she stepped inside; forcing herself to give him a smile he knew wasn't one from the heart. "I'll see you there…"

"Goodbye." He waved her, right before the doors closed and stepped back. Well, that'd been weird.

* * *

It was quiet in the house with the red brick wall. The women living inside were either asleep from their long shift in the club or still outside somewhere with a client. They weren't allowed to bring anyone here for reasons.

Teresa entered it, adrenaline pumping through her veins and ran up the stairs, not caring whether anyone would hear her or not. This was her chance to get out. Sending a quick prayer up to God in heaven, wishing for his protection for her scheme, she rushed into the hallways where her room was located. Until now, no one had seen her and she hoped it would stay like this.

She had to pack her things and leave this hell of a place. Fate gave her the chance in form of the handsome looking businessman Patrick Jane and she'd be damned to not take it. Of course there was the thought in the back of her head that things could go very wrong, but she pushed it aside. Teresa was sure she wouldn't survive the rest of the five years she had to be here anyways, so where was the point in staying in this hellhole?

She opened the door of her room and closed it, taking a deep breath. Although she wanted to leave as quickly as she could, she had to prepare for her absence and made it look like she was still around somehow, so Lorelei wouldn't get suspicious. It was time to think things through.

_You need a plan_, she told herself, _a very good plan. You must not screw this up or it's over._

Her gaze fell on the framed picture of her and her brothers on her bedside table. They needed her, even if she'd been gone for so long. She was all they had left after her mother died and her father killed himself and took her and her brothers almost with him.

"I'm doing this for you", she whispered, touching the picture and pressing it close to her chest. It was time to pack and go.

Xxxxx

The door was only three steps away. Until now she hadn't seen anyone except for Lilly, who'd been so drunk, she hadn't even realized she was there. Freedom was _this_ close.

"Where do you think you are going?", a voice behind Teresa asked. Of course. The head mistress of their boss always had an eye on her. She had to stay calm and relaxed, but that was easier said than done if you were attempting on "breaking out".

Teresa turned around, trying to look confident as always when she was around the woman she hated most in this world. "As I told you yesterday, Summer is in the hospital. She got beaten up in the alley behind the club yesterday night, but it seems like you were too busy making out with that brunet guy instead of listening to me and call for help. She asked me to bring some of her stuff to the hospital, that's all." Her grip around the bag in her hand tightened.

Lorelei who must have just come home from the club, looked at her with tired but distrustful eyes. Teresa knew she wasn't that a good liar, that's why she rather left things unsaid than spinning a lie. She still hoped desperately Lorelei would buy that, since she was telling the truth - she was on her way to visit Summer in the hospital.

"I don't believe you", Lorelei said. She sounded a little drunk, but she'd never leave out a chance to harass her. "Give me the bag."

"No!", Teresa answered confidently, "This is none of your business. You didn't even care that Summer was injured and two strangers, who thankfully passed by, stopped this guy and called the ambulance. What would Red John say to _that_?!"

Lorelei's eyes narrowed on her. Okay maybe she'd gone a little bit too far...

"Be careful what you say, Trixi! I told the boss of your behavior towards me last night and he was not amused you're treating me like this, you know? You owe him, you know that and a part of your obligation to show respect towards me, you little slut. He gave you everything when you had nothing, so I dare you to kick this with your feet. Now give me the bag!" Lorelei reached for the bag and opened it against Teresa's protest.

_Don't freak out, stay calm. Everything is going to be okay... please God_, she thought and held her breath. She watched the mistress taking out some clothes which didn't belong to her. They were Summer's. A pair of jeans, a towel, a few t-shirts, a little toilet bag and some other things. None of them was hers. Thankfully Teresa had thought about the fact something like this could happen and watched now with joy, how Lorelei's face fell when she realized the clothes weren't even Teresa's size but Summer's. The mistress even recognized a few of the clothes.

With an annoyed moan, she threw the bag across from Teresa down the stairs so it sprang completely open and some of the clothes spread on the floor. She wanted to turn around and collect them, when Lorelei reached for her wrist and held it so tight it almost hurt.

"What?!", Teresa gasped, trying to entangle her wrist from Lorelei's grip.

"You were lucky this time, Trixi. But if I ever catch you trying to leave this place before your time is over, you wish you'd never have taken Red John upon his offer."

"As if I don't wish for that every day", she muttered under her breath and finally managed to make Lorelei let go of her. She threw the woman a hatred look and walked down the last few steps to pick up the bag. Lorelei didn't leave but crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"Since Summer is omitted, you can take her shifts outside on the street. She still has to pay this months rent and won't get to it if she keeps spending her precious time in the hospital. By the way, I think you need some men to shut your mouth and show you what you really are. A slutty hooker and nothing else! I don't want to see your ugly face here for the next three days." With a big satisfying smile on her face she walked up the stairs and vanished in the next corridor.

Teresa kept staring at her, trying desperately to not think about that that bitch just said to her. _Breathe_, she told herself.

Her plan had worked out in the end and that was what counted. Taking only the two things she needed most - the money and the picture of her and her brothers - and hiding it underneath Summer's clothes had been a clever move.

The fact that Lorelei didn't want to see her for the next three days was a good addition to her plan and gave her some kind of a head start. Maybe they wouldn't miss her after all, but she doubted it. Lorelei enjoyed picking on her way too much.

With a content smile on her face she left the house she never called home and looked forward to freedom. The path wouldn't be easy, but she'd get there, get out of this and finally fulfil her own very special dream, the reason she came to California in the first place.

* * *

A/N: Woah, Lorelei that bitch. Seriously I'm so happy I can have her character in this AU, because it's really nice to have a female villain in this hehe. This won't be her last scene, so stay tuned! Thanks so much for reading everyone. Now that you met "Teresa", what do you think of her? There's more behind her character than just a broken girl who has to work as a hooker as you'll see when the story continues. Please let me know what you think of this! Have a great day and lots of fun with the episode on Sunday!  
Liefs


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Happy The Mentalist Sunday, guys!  
Woah I can't wait for tonights episode, it's going to be so intense!  
Thanks to everyone for their comments on the last chapter, I really appreciated them. I'm so sorry This update took so long, but University started and I have so many work to do, there's barely time where I can write. But well, it's here and I'm thankful for everyone who sticks with me, even if the updates take longer.

A huge thank you to Nerwen and Totorsg for betaing! Oh and if you look for something hot to read, please check out Totorsg's M-rated oneshot "Let's Lay Down And Make Love"! It's a super hot tag for 6x01 ;)

Now enjoy!

* * *

(5)

Jane watched the closed elevator doors for a few more seconds, before he realized they wouldn't open again any time soon. Instead, he stepped back and walked inside his suite and closed the door, unsure what to think of the whole situation.

It'd been a completely spontaneous action to ask Teresa to come with him to LA and stay with him until next week. Spontaneous but also foreseeable, after he couldn't let her leave yesterday night. She must have been rather confused about his offer, since he hadn't made any attempts on her in the sexual way in the first place.

If he thought about it, she'd seemed rather desperate to take it in the end and to get as much money out of it as possible. Not that money ever was an issue for him. He could have easily hired one of Walter's "friends" if he wanted to, but he hated being bored by superficial women he didn't like anyways. It was different with Teresa. There was no denying that he liked her. Teresa fascinated him like no other woman after his wife ever did. She was mysterious but funny, stubborn with a soft side and had a lonely soul like he did, mixed with fire that was bubbling underneath. Not to forget she didn't take anything for granted like most of the women he went out with. Not that this had been a date, but she'd been so thankful and shy about his behavior, it made him smile while thinking about it.

Slowly, he went back over to the dining table and sat down, grabbing the last bite of croissant that was lying in the little basket.

_Teresa_…

He hated the fact that he'd made her cry when he guessed her name right. That was not something he liked to see… Teresa crying in front of him or merely _because _of him and something he'd said. Jane felt very sorry for her.

Why had she reacted so sensitive when he'd said her name? _"I haven't heard someone calling my name in a long time"_, she'd said. Something must have happened to her, something very bad. He'd mostly guessed right yesterday night, when he'd wanted them to "talk", but there was more behind the story. She didn't look like the typical type of a hooker for him either. This girl must have been in some big trouble to take this path and because she didn't want to bemire her own pretty name… she'd changed it.

On the outside she seemed tough-as-nails, but once pushed the right buttons, she was almost an innocent, scared child to him. The nightmare he'd witnessed confirmed it. She wasn't like the hookers you usually found outside on the street, she was different. He needed to gain her trust – although something told him he already had – and get to know the story behind the red-haired hooker Trixi and the broken woman Teresa. Maybe he could help her to get things straight once she opened up to him…

Sighing, he came to the decision to do anything to help her, no matter what dark secrets she had. He'd start right off with bringing her to LA, introducing her to his lifestyle and once the week was over, he'd make sure she had everything she wished for...

The ringing of a phone on the nightstand ripped him out of his final thoughts. He rose to answer the call, almost expecting it to be her, but where would she have gotten his number from? Jane was foolishly surprised when the caller turned out to be Cho. Oh right, he'd almost forgotten about his driver.

"Cho", he greeted him cheerfully, "What can I do for you? How is our blonde stripper friend feeling?"

"She has to stay at the hospital for two more days so they can watch her. Didn't like it at all, but she was thankful because we saved her", Cho answered without any emotion in his voice. Patrick couldn't stop his grin. Oh he could imagine _how_ thankful the blonde lady had been towards Cho.

"Well, it was you who did the main work on that guy, but the important thing is that she's feeling a little better. I shall thank you from her friend for driving with her to the hospital. She wanted to come, but she had some other business to attend."

"I'll be waiting at 10 am in front of the hotel, so we can go back to LA."

_Always getting to the point_, Jane thought smiling. Maybe he just didn't want Jane to point out that he was a little sweet on the blonde stripper. "Oh, actually there is a little change of plan. We'll have someone accompanying us to LA and we decided to meet later in front of the hospital."

"You're bringing the red-haired hooker friend of Summer's?", Cho asked. If Jane listened closely, he was sure he almost heard a bit of a surprise in the Korean's words.

"Actually she's brunette – surprise, surprise – and her name is Teresa. But yes, she's coming with us. Any further questions?" Cho remained silent, so Jane figured it was better to clear anything else off in person. "Good, I'll meet you at half past ten in front of the hotel and then we'll drive to the Valley Hospital Medical Centre."

"Okay." With this, they hung up. Jane tossed the phone on the bed and let himself fall down on the bunch of unmade blankets and pillows. Well, this bed was much better than the couch he slept on. He had to make sure they either had two bedrooms in the hotel in LA or a comfortable couch.

When he turned his head, the light scent of cinnamon mixed with spring flowers invaded his senses. He took a moment to inhale the sweet scent, dipping his nose closer to the pillow and breathing it in, memorizing it. Teresa smelled as sweet as she looked.

* * *

The entrance area of the hospital was full of visitors and people waiting, because the waiting room was overfilled. She hated hospitals, hated them almost more than being a hooker, because they reminded her of her dead mother. Marie Lisbon had been one of the best nurses in the Saint Anthony Hospital in Chicago. Sometimes, when Teresa had been still little, she'd taken her with her to work on her station. That's why she'd wanted to become a doctor… to help save lives and know that you did something good with your knowledge. Well, until that drunk driver had hit her mother and she died. From this moment on, hospitals were a constant reminder of what she'd lost and the bad things she experienced after her father became an abusive bastard.

Taking a deep breath, she finally stepped inside, knowing she had to do this for Summer.

Teresa had to wait in line until she finally reached the tired looking woman at the reception desk, who seemed to want nothing more but to sleep.

"What can I do for you, my dear?"

"I'm looking for Summer Edgecombe. She's been hospitalized yesterday night after a fight."

"Are you a relative?", the woman asked. Teresa knew it was just procedure, but she just wanted to see her friend.

"No, but I'm her only friend in this town. I'm here to bring her some clothes and stuff…" She held up the bag, smiling questioningly.

The woman sighed and pointed towards the elevator doors: "She's in room 359 B on the third floor."

"Thank you", Teresa smiled and ran towards the elevator, which doors were just closing. A woman held them up for her so she could slip inside, muttering another "Thank you" and pushed the button for the third floor.

Summer's room was sterile and white, filled with five other patients, who were separated by thick green curtains. It smelled a bit like urine and something she couldn't define, so she wrinkled her nose and closed the door behind her, walking around the first curtain to see who was lying there. She found summer after the third curtain, carefully pulling it aside and peeking inside. Summer had her headphones on and was watching TV on a small screen that was attached to the left side of her bed.

The moment Summer recognized her, the blonde woman put on a big smile and turned the tv off. "Tammy! What a surprise! It's so good to see you. What are you doing here?"

"Well someone has to look after you and bring you some stuff", she answered, setting the bag on the end of the bed. "How are you feeling? I'm so sorry I couldn't drive with the ambulance, I had to tell Lorelei and I had a shift and…"

"Hey, I'm fine. Kimball took good care of me."

"Kimball? Please don't tell me you have a thing for the Asian driver", she laughed.

Summer blushed, holding up a hand to shush her: "I know how it is and I'm glad you told Lorelei. It's so nice that you brought me some stuff! This hospital gown is totally ugly! But most of my clothes were covered with blood, so I couldn't wear them. Just put the bag in the small locker over there later."

When she moved too rapidly, Summer grimaced because of the pain that went through her head. "Careful", Teresa answered, "Stay still, Summer. I don't want you to be here longer than necessary. So much for "I'm fine." Obviously you are not."

"Okay I agree it hurts… a little, but it's okay Tammy. You don't have to worry about me. If you ask me about that woman next to me, who pees herself every five minutes, that's a different topic." Teresa suppressed a grin. Well that explained the urine smell.

"I can hear you, little harlot", a voice next to them called offended.

"Shut up, bitch!", Summer answered annoyed, rolling her eyes at Teresa, who smiled. She took time to eyeball her, noticing with wonder that she wasn't wearing a wig, but wore her long brown hair open. "I never saw you without a wig! Woah, you look gorgeous, you should wear your hair like this more often."

"Thank you", the brunette answered playing with a strand of her hair. Summer was right, she usually wore a wig, so people wouldn't recognize her.

"Naah, it's not just your hair. Nice outfit, too – who are you trying to impress?"

She blushed immediately, knowing she picked the most normal outfit she had from her stuff, even if it existed out of a blue bleached hot pants, a cream colored blouse with ripped off arms and black sandal heels. Teresa threw a quick glance at the clock on the wall. "I have to leave soon… Lorelei gave me new shifts, you know. I paid the rest of your rent for the month, so you can rest a little before you go out on the streets again."

Summer watched her with a watery smile: "Thank you so much, T… You're the only one who's ever been nice to me. I'm going to miss you."

The brunette gasped in shock. She hadn't slipped anything, right? Oh my god how did Summer know? And if she knew… "Don't worry, your secret is safe with me. I don't know nor did I see anything. Just be safe, okay my friend?"

"I… I try", Teresa managed to say. Her heart clenched when Summer raised a hand, waiting for her to grab it. She stepped forward, grabbing her hand and patting her friend's cheek. "I'm going to miss you, Summer. You're the only friend I ever had in this hell of a place."

"No wonder, you're both dirty harlots", the old woman next to Summer's bed added grumpily.

"Shut up, bitch!", Summer and Teresa answered at the same time and grinned at each other.

"Good bye, my friend. Take care!" She saw Summer's watery eyes and left the bed, pulling the curtains closed, before the blonde could see she was almost crying, too.

* * *

When Teresa emerged from the hospital, she only had a bag made out of black fabric in her hands, holding onto it like her life depended on it. Just then, the well known dark blue BMW stopped in front of the building. She raised an eyebrow, when no one else but Patrick Jane himself stepped out of the back on the driver's side and waved shortly. Teresa walked up on him and got into the car on the passenger side, consciously ignoring Jane's attempt to hold the door open for her on his side.

Jane didn't let that bother him; instead he got in, telling Cho to bring them to LA.

"I wasn't sure you'd really come", he said calmly, watching her to clutch the little bag in her arms further. Of course he knew she'd have come, he just needed something to start the conversation with rather than asking what was in the small bag and where was her suitcase.

"You knew I would", Teresa answered, looking out of the window. It felt more like a dream to her than reality. She was finally leaving this hell of a place towards the city she always wanted to go.

"Well you can't be sure about that. I'm not a psychic. How is your friend Summer?" Jane sensed Cho stiffening in his seat. Well he knew the Korean would start to pay attention when it came to that little stripper friend of Teresa's.

"She is going to be fine. Actually she's strong enough to complain already about the people she has to share the room with, so it can't be that bad. Thank you again Mr. Cho for your help last night. I shall send the best regards from Summer."

Jane watched his driver in the back mirror. It almost looked like he smiled - almost. "Well my dear since you didn't bring anything along, I guess you have to go and buy a dress for the meeting I want you to accompany me to this evening. I hope you are fine with that. I'm afraid I have to go and meet my boss once we arrive, so there is not much time for me to go with you. But you're a big girl, I'm sure you will be fine with it."

Teresa shot him a glance saying "don't call me that", but then she looked away biting her lip.

Afar from the fact she just didn't have anything appropriate to wear for such an occasion, there was no chance she could have smuggled anything more out of the building than the stuff she actually did. "Yes I'm going to be fine with that", she murmured.

They passed the sign saying "Drive Carefully. Come Back Soon!" and headed down highway 15 to Los Angeles. After the last suburb and a few single houses, the car entered the hot desert, with nothing more than sand, a few stones, dried bushes and the asphalt.

She felt Jane's constant gaze on her, but she didn't dare to look back. This was the third time she left her former life behind. First, when she left Chicago for LA, second, when she knew she screwed everything up and decided to become Trixi the hooker and now third, when she decided to go with Patrick Jane. She really hoped this wouldn't be the worst of her decisions…

Jane would have paid all the money in the world to know what she must be thinking right now. Of course he could just ask, but he didn't want to disturb her. Teresa's face was concentrated and the wrinkle between her eyebrows made her look older than she was. Another thing he had to ask her about when the time was right. Until then, he'd be fine with just watching her mysterious beauty.

* * *

After a little less than two hours, Cho pulled over at a gas stop and a diner, so they could have lunch together. It was a nice break, where Jane managed to break the ice between him and Teresa a little more. The best moment had actually been, when she'd laughed over his story about the old elephant lady Rosie. Even Cho managed to crack a smile, although he tried to keep the conversation and especially emotion to a minimum.

Maybe, Jane thought, he should have asked him if he wanted to bring Summer along to LA. He was sure Teresa wouldn't have minded to have a friend close in a city she didn't know.

Xxxxx

Despite Teresa's witty comment when Jane decided to have some scrambled eggs with toast, they finished lunch and got back into the car, a nice quiet settling over them again. Cho turned on the radio, knowing Jane's favourite music was jazz, so they listened to the sound of pianos and saxophones, until Jane was barely able to keep an eye open.

The lack of sleep from yesterday night seemed to make itself felt. Darn, he was growing old. Whatever, they had two hours and nothing but desert ahead of them, so a short nap wouldn't hurt, especially since it was going to be a long evening for him and Teresa. A glance to the woman in question told him she was already in dreamland. He just hoped there were good dreams at the place she was right now.

With a smile, he tucked her hand which was resting alone in the middle of their seats in his and closed his eyes.

Xxxxx

When Teresa woke up, she felt more tired than she had when she fell asleep. She sighed, not wanting to open her eyes and pressed her head back into the shoulder it was leaning on. It was soft and smelled good and warm and… Wait - shoulder?!

The brunette sat up straight in shock, her head bumping against Jane's, which had been resting above hers. She jerked away; her eyes open in shock, while the businessman looked more confused than anything else.

"Ouch", Jane mumbled tired, rubbing the side of his head.

"Oh my, I'm so sorry, Mr. Jane. I must have fallen asleep."

"There's nothing to feel sorry about, my dear", he said suppressing a yawn. He looked out of the front window and recognized the familiar skyline of Los Angeles. "We're almost there anyways."

Jane squeezed her hand, giving her a reassuring smile. Just then Teresa realized they'd been holding hands the whole time. She blushed and entangled hers from Jane's, giving him a shy smile. Jane didn't like to loose the comforting contact of her small warm body, but he let her. Maybe it was a little bit too much for her after all.

"Is this LA?", she asked excited when she looked out of the window. She felt like a small child, seeing a big city for the first time. To be honest, she had to prevent herself from pressing the nose against the car windows so she'd have a better sight.

"Indeed", Jane chuckled. "Have you never been here before?"

"No, but I always wanted to go... Will we drive through Hollywood?"

Jane smiled: "We can if you want to." The sparkle in her eyes was answer enough, so Jane tapped Cho on the shoulder. "Would you mind doing the short version of the tourist tour?"

"Not at all", the driver answered and turned left, following the sings towards Hollywood.

Xxxxx

Jane couldn't hide his grin after they finished the "tour" through Hollywood and Cho stopped in front of their hotel. Teresa was beaming with happiness, babbling like a child about everything she saw.

"Do you think we can go up to the Hollywood Hills and visit the sign for real?", she asked, "I mean we don't have to, if you don't want to, but… and the sea, oh please can we go and visit the beach?"

"Of course my dear. I'll try to make some space in my schedule." The brunette bit her lip, debating whether to hug him or to kiss him. In the end, she pressed a quick kiss on his cheek, mumbling "Thank you".

"You have an appointment at Mr. Mashburn's office at 4 pm and it's already 3:30 pm", Cho reminded Jane, who couldn't take his eyes off Teresa. The man in question shook his head, to clear his thoughts and pointed towards the hotel on their right side.

"We're going to stay here for the rest of our visit. Cho is right, Teresa, I'll bring you upstairs and then I will have to leave. Are you okay with this?"

"Of course", she answered smiling and took her bag into her arms. Again, she didn't wait for Jane to open the door for her; instead she got out and watched the tall hotel complex, taking a deep breath.

A page came, to unload the trunk of the car, to bring Jane's little suitcase into his room.

"Come on, then", he said, guiding Teresa into the hotel, his hand resting on her small back.

They were greeted by a tall, brawny, rather serious looking man at the reception. He nodded towards Jane, greeting him very formally. "Good day, Mr. Jane. I hope your journey to Las Vegas was succeeding?"

"It was, thank you, Mr. Bosco. I just wanted to let you know that I'm back now. Were you able to arrange the suite with the two bedrooms for me?"

Bosco shot Teresa a glance, before he nodded and pushed two key cards over the desk. Jane thanked him again and lead Teresa towards the elevators.

"You know, you didn't have to get a new room for me, I could have slept on the couch."

The businessman gave her a smile: "I knew you would have, but I dragged you all the way over here, so that's the least I could do for you. Here we are."

They stepped out of the elevator. Teresa followed Jane towards a door at the end of the hallway, waiting for him to open it up. The room was similar to the one they had in Vegas, only the two doors on the left and right side of the wall indicated the existence of two bedrooms.

"Pick one", he said cheerfully, pointing towards the doors, "I'll have the other one."

With a thankful nod, the brunette went over to the left double doors, opening one of them carefully. "I think I will take this one", she mumbled while watching pretty interior and the queen-sized bed on the wall.

"As you wish", Jane smiled. He went over to her, pulling a golden credit card out of his wallet. "Since you didn't bring anything with you, I told you, you had to go shopping. I'm afraid I have to leave now, but I'm sure you will find an appropriate outfit for the evening. We're going to an exclusive dinner, in a very fancy restaurant, so please make sure your outfit fits. This card has no limit, so if you see something you like, go and buy it. Like I said, I will pay for everything you need during your stay with me, you don't have to ask. Here."

Teresa hesitated when he gave her the credit card, not sure if he was serious. She could take that thing and run off elsewhere. It was astonishing he trusted her with something like this, although they didn't even know each other for 24 hours. She decided to take the card as a sign of trust and held it close with two hands. "I… I'll try to find something. I won't disappoint you."

"No, you won't", the businessman answered with a soft expression on his face, touched because Teresa didn't take his request as a simple excuse to do some exclusive shopping for herself. He could see in her eyes that she really wanted to show him she could do this on her own and that he could trust her.

"You will find the best boutiques on Rodeo Drive. If you don't want to walk there, just take a cab… Have a nice day, my dear." He brushed her cheekbone with his thumb, before he stepped away. The touch of his warm thumb on her soft skin gave Teresa the chills.

"I will await you in the lobby at half past seven. Try to have a little fun, I know you're not the shopping queen type of woman", Jane grinned, although he felt a little bad because he had to leave her alone.

A little annoyed, she stuck her tongue out and made a funny face behind his back, blushing furiously when he turned around and gave her a knowing smile. She closed the doors of what now would be "her" room, not waiting for Jane to leave the suite first.

* * *

Oh god, she did it. Slowly, she let herself sink down on the bed, while reality was crushing in on her. Teresa pulled the picture of her and her three brothers out of the black fabric bag and watched it, her fingers gliding carefully over the frame.

She was in a city she didn't know, with a man she didn't know, but somehow all of that didn't frighten her, no. Now she knew what to do, even if her first plan didn't work out, this was her chance to make a new start. Teresa sat the picture on her night desk and looked for a good place to hide her money, where the cleaning staff wouldn't find it. There was the safe in the wardrobe, but she didn't want Jane to ask her any questions about it.

"Does this stupid hotel have no hiding place?", she mumbled. Perhaps it would be easier to hide the money elsewhere, or to rent some kind of locker at the train station. The problem was she had no time. Jane expected her to be all dressed up in less than four hours, so she really had to hurry.

Darn, if this place was as exclusive as he said… she'd have a problem. Her mother had taught her a little about the manners of etiquette, but only the basics like holding the fork in the left hand and the knife in the right. Yes, she was screwed, but that was a problem she'd think about later.

Sighing, she grabbed one of the pillows and opened the sheets. This had to do until she found a better place to hide the money. For a minute, she debated whether to leave the frame on the night desk, or if it would give too much away, but she wasn't ashamed of her family – at least not of her brothers – and since Jane knew about them anyways, the frame could stay where it was. Who knew, maybe she would start to trust the businessman as much that she'd tell him one day… Although she doubted it.

Yes, Jane had to trust her at least partly, because he gave her his credit card and sent her shopping. She could simply run off with it, buy everything she needed – not that she'd so something like this. Her mother always taught her to behave well and not to use people in ways like this, even if fate taught her different.

Maybe she should finally admit that she failed, not just to herself, because she did this a long time ago, but also to her brothers. They wouldn't have to know the whole story, but she could tell them she was about to come home, with no graduation, but with some money to support her brother James's medical studies. The dress she had to buy could wait a few more minutes.

Teresa walked out of her room, looking for some kind of phone. She found it on the big wooden desk, where some of Jane's paperwork was lying in a neatly order. He didn't look like he had a thing about cleanliness, but maybe it was just because he'd ordered the hotel employees to bring his stuff from his old, to this new room.

She picked up the phone and sat down on the couch area, dialling one of the few phone numbers she knew by heart. It took some time until someone answered on the other end, but when it finally happened, her heart made a jump.

"This is Thomas Lisbon."

"Tommy, it's Teresa", the brunette mumbled, pressing the phone closer to her ear as if that would bring her closer to her brother.

"Reese?", the man on the other end asked surprised, "Wow, I expected anyone but you. How are you?"

She swallowed hard; knowing she hadn't called in a few weeks, but it was difficult to fine a time and place where she could make sure no one was listening. "I know and I'm sorry. I've been very busy the last few weeks. How are you and the guys doing?"

"If I'd known you going to Police Academy would mean you could never come home, I'd have never let you go, Reese. We miss you. It's been two years now since the last time we saw each other. You don't even let us visit you in Las Vegas."

"I know, Tommy, I know and I'm so sorry, you can't even believe me how much I am", she answered again, apologizing for everything.

"Are you ashamed of us? Or are you ashamed of yourself, because it didn't work out at the Police Academy in Los Angeles? You don't have to be embarrassed; we're your brothers, Reese. You can tell us everything."

Teresa had to suppress her tears. She should have called James or Peter instead of Thommy. He was the little one of the three and she was more a mother than a sister to him. It was so hard to face the fact that she'd disappointed them; he was seventeen for god's sake!

"I'm not ashamed of any of you, never let anybody tell you that, okay? I'm calling, because I wanted to tell you that I'm coming home in about two weeks."

"You are?", he asked with a mixture of shock and disbelieve, "But… but it's not even spring break, why… Is everything okay, Reese?"

"There is a lot we have to talk about, but the only thing you need to know right now is that I'm coming home to you, Peter and aunt Julie. Just do me the favor and don't tell anyone, okay? I want to surprise them."

"But James would want to see you, too, I can…"

"No", Teresa said, "no, don't tell him just yet, promise me."

"Okay, I promise you I won't tell anybody. I… I can't wait to see you."

"Neither can I", she smiled, tears bubbling up in her eyes. It's been too long since she last saw her brothers, leaving for California with her bags packed, not knowing she'd never arrive there in the first place. "Now tell me, how are applications for college going? Did you already think about where to go and what to do? How is aunt Julie?"

"Aunt Julie is as grumpy as ever. I have the feeling she can't wait until I'm finally gone." Teresa remembered that after her father killed himself, her father's sister in law was the only close living relative they had, who agreed to take care of the four orphans. Sometimes Teresa wondered if things had gone different, if her mother's sister in Ireland would have agreed to take them, but she was a single mother, having three little children herself and it would have been impossible to take in four more at that time.

Tommy continued: "I'm doing this program at the moment in school and if I'm good, they might offer me a scholarship for college here in Chicago. Peter said that I could rent his old single-room apartment then, because he and Claire are moving in together next year."

"That sounds great", she said smiling, being truly happy, because her youngest brother might get a scholarship for college and the second one would move in with his high school girlfriend. The latter were very interesting news.

The siblings continued the chit chat for ten more minutes, until Teresa threw a glance at the clock on the wall. Darn, she should finally go and buy that stupid dress like Jane had asked her to do. She excused herself, telling Tommy her afternoon class would start in a few and hung up with the promise to call him, once she knew when she would arrive at the airport next week.

After she hung up, Teresa needed a few seconds to get herself together. Phone calls with her brothers were always funny but heart aching at the same time. She felt so badly because she lied and was still lying, but once she got home, she told herself, she'd tell them the truth. They didn't need to know she'd been a hooker though.

With a deep breath, she checked her pocket for the golden credit card and left the suite towards the elevators, ready to start the shopping tour.

* * *

A/N: Well, here we are. Now you got a little more background information of Teresa. In my fic, Lisbon is very young, let's say 23/24 I haven't decided yet, so I hope you weren't confused ;) I really hope you liked it and if so, make sure to click on the review button :D I'm looking forward to write the next chapter, because there's going to be a scene in it we all know – the Pretty Woman shopping scene yay hehe :D  
Now I wish all of you an exciting night and lots of fun with the new The Mentalist episode (although I think it's going to kill us) o.O  
Liefs


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Yes, you see right, the next chapter is already up! Since it seemed like most of you didn't really like the last one, I still want to thank the people who wrote reviews :) You are awesome!  
I really hope you like this one better. There is a lot from the movie included, so I hope you'll recognize some scenes and have fun with reading :)  
By the way, some people keep asking in their comments for other stories with Lisbon as a hooker. I'm really sorry, but mine is the only one I know, so please don't use my reviews as some kind of "askbox", that would be really nice :)  
Have fun now!

* * *

(6)

Teresa took the elevator down to the lobby and stepped out, once again stunned by the wealthy looks of the hotel. She never thought she'd be allowed to visit such a hotel, let alone living in it for a certain amount of time. Well, she could worry about that and other stuff later, for now she needed to go to "Rodeo Drive", like Jane told her to, to find an appropriate dress for the evening.

Since she was new in town and didn't have time to get lost, the brunette went over to the reception desk and leaned on it, waiting for the woman behind it to recognize her. The woman looked up, raised an eyebrow and looked down again, before she cleared her throat and but whatever she was doing aside.

Teresa hated the superior look she gave her, but she was used to it. This wouldn't be the last time people looked down on her… She didn't look that slutty, did she?

"How can I help you, Miss?", the woman asked overly friendly.

"Could you tell me how to get to Rodeo Drive, please? I mean do you have a map or something?" Teresa was eyed suspiciously, but the woman turned around to get a map out of one of the drawers, hesitating to give it to her.

"Excuse me, but may I have your name and room number, please?"

"I'm staying with Mr. Patrick Jane. I don't know which room number that is. Can't you just give me the map? I can help myself."

The woman laid the map down next to the computer keys and smiled: "I'm sorry, Miss, but I would like to check this information first. It only takes a minute."

Teresa rolled her eyes, holding up her hands: "You know what, just leave it. I'll find this damn street on my own." Without looking back, she turned around grumpily and went out of the hotel, the man at the front entrance greeting her with a surprised expression on his face.

The woman at the reception desk watched her leave and put the map back to the others in her drawer. She stiffened, when her boss attended the desk. "Mr. Bosco", she greeted him with a nod of her head, "You're back from your vacation."

"I am, Cleo. Would you please tell me what the woman who was just standing here wanted?"

Cleo frowned in surprise, since her boss had seen her interact with the young brunette. "Uhm, she wanted to have a map of LA, but I was a little surprised of her attire, so I thought she just sneaked in… When she told me she was staying with Mr. Jane, it made me a little suspicious. Did… Did I do something wrong?"

Bosco put up a friendly face: "The next time she enters the building, would you please call me immediately? I would like to speak to her."

"Of course, Mr. Bosco", Cleo answered though a little confused about her boss's order.

"Thank you. Keep up the good work", he said before turning around.

* * *

She wanted to hit something. Why was this world so superficial and judgemental, _why_? She didn't do anything to that woman at the reception desk, but she'd treated her like she was the plague!

_Breathe, Teresa_, she told herself and stopped in front of a shop window. The sun was standing in a weird ankle, so she could see her reflection in the window better than the outlaid clothes. Did she have a sign on her forehead, screaming "hooker" to everyone who was looking at her? Was it about the way she dressed, the way she moved?

Seeing herself in the reflection like this made her even angrier. It wasn't her fault fate had thrown nothing but stones in her way, but she was strong and she was who she was. Sighing, she turned away from the window. This wouldn't be the last time people would be reacting like this when they saw her. Damn, she should simply get used to it.

Teresa decided to ask some people on the street how to get to Rodeo Drive. Since most of them were tourists and had a map with them, they gave her a vague direction in bad English and went on. In the end it wasn't as difficult to find it as she first thought.

During her time in Vegas, she'd heard a lot about people going shopping on Rodeo Drive and maxing out their credit cards, but she never thought they were telling the truth. Both sides of the street were full of Italian designer boutiques, the best French fashion and world-class jewellers.

She passed a few women, who were holding like a thousand shopping bags as you could often see in the movies, laughing and being happy. It seemed like shopping really was as good as sex for some women. A few limousines passed her and one stopped in front of a store with a red carpet in front of it.

Teresa was roughly pushed aside, when a few paparazzi with their cameras rushed after it, stopping next to the limousine and waiting for a woman to exit it. They called her name, taking lots of pictures, their flashes blinding the poor woman, who was trying desperately to escape them.

Although she didn't know her, Teresa felt immediately sorry for her. Every girl dreamed of fame, but only few thought about that it always came with a price. You had no private life; every step you made was watched by paparazzi and the public. Of course, one would be rich and have lots of money, but was it really worth it?

She sighed, turning away from the scene in front of her. Her life hadn't been any better over the last two years. By signing the contract with Red John, she agreed on being constantly watched by one of his handymen or his headmistress Lorelei, knowing she couldn't escape them. Hell she couldn't really believe all of this here would work out fine in the end, but she pushed this thought quickly aside.

It had to work, it just had to. She should ask Patrick if he was often followed by paparazzi, because she couldn't risk of showing up beside him in a newspaper article. Even if she changed her looks, some people could recognize her.

At the dinner tonight probably wouldn't be any photographers, so she didn't have to worry about that at the moment.

She walked across the stores, checking the windows out for pretty clothes. Most of it was really not her style and overly expensive. Even if Jane gave her that little golden plastic card, she didn't have to take advantage of it. Since it was really difficult to decide where to go first, Teresa picked the next three stores and decided via eeny-meeny-miny-moo. She just had a little less than three hours left.

Teresa took a deep breath and walked into the store, which had no customers at the moment. Three women, perfectly styled were working in there, one as the cashier, one rearranging outlaid clothes and the other one just stood there, watching over her two colleagues.

Ignoring the looks the three women exchanged, Teresa looked around and saw a simple grey dress combination with a black belt on one of the puppets in the room.

Finally – it felt like an eternity – one of the women decided to step a little closer, her chin high and her hand resting on each side of her hips. "May I help you somehow?"

"Uh… yes." She would need help to find an appropriate piece of clothing and knew from TV that this weren't stores like Primark, where everyone could just get in and grab what he liked. Why was it that these women made her feel so uncomfortable?

"Well and _how_ may I help you?", the woman continued, a cold annoyance in her voice. The two other ones behind the cashier and the counters came closer. By almost standing together they built up some kind of physical wall.

"I uh…", Teresa looked around and pointed towards the grey dress, "Would like to know how much this costs."

Again, the three saleswomen exchanged looks, before the one from behind the cashier said: "I'm afraid this dress might be out of your price range."

"Excuse me?", the little brunette asked surprised.

"This dress is out of your price range", the woman repeated, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"Well how about you let _me _be the judge of that?!", Teresa answered, "I would like to know how much this dress is, it is none of your business if it's in my price class or not!"

"I am very sorry, but we're not sure we have anything for you in this store", one of them said, pointing towards the door, "Please, if you would be so kind and leave now, we have work to do."

"Is that how you treat your customers?!" They couldn't be serious, could they?

"We are very sorry", one of the women explained, walking over to the doors and pulling one open. The pairs of eyes watched her every move like hawks a little mouse. Without another word, Teresa turned around and left the store, feeling their judgemental looks on her back and hearing their laughter after the doors were closed.

She wanted to cry. Yes, she was used to people being judgemental and full of prejudice towards her, but never ever in her life had anyone treated her like a worthless piece of shit like those three women just had. They didn't even know her! Maybe she should have flashed Jane's credit card right in the beginning, but they would have judged her anyways.

Why, why was this world so damn superficial and blinded? Balling her hands into fists, Teresa walked back down the street, the way she came from. _Don't cry, it isn't worth it_, she told herself, but she couldn't help that one little tear escaped the corner of her eye.

All she wanted to have was a stupid dress; it couldn't be that hard, could it? Well after this disaster, she really didn't want to go anywhere but into their hotel room and throw herself on the large bed. Jane would have to attend this stupid dinner on his own. She didn't have any clue how to pretend to be a fine lady anyways!

He was better off without her. Perhaps it would be better to leave, take the next train back to Las Vegas and get back to the "Red Mill" right before anyone would have realized she'd gone missing.

_What the hell are you thinking, you idiot!_, she told herself, _this is your chance, so don't screw it up!_ Taking a deep breath, the brunette wiped the tear away and went back to the hotel. She could tell Jane she hadn't found anything, maybe even the truth that the women in the store didn't want to sell her anything. He would understand, right?

* * *

Cho stopped the car right in front of the tall glass building, the headquarters of Mashburn's company.

"Thanks for the ride, Cho, it's been a pleasure as always", Jane said and shook the driver's hand, putting a 50 dollar note into his front pocket. Cho nodded his thanks and got back into the car, waiting for his boss to call him in for the next assignment. Somehow he was sure this wouldn't be the last time he saw Mr. Jane and the lovely Miss Teresa. But for now he had to catch up on some much needed sleep he didn't get during his stay in the hospital with Summer.

Jane straightened his suit jacket and went inside the building, taking the elevators to go straight up to the floor where Mashburn's luxurious office was located. He really hoped Teresa had a good time while shopping a dress for dinner in the evening. Maybe she helped herself to some other clothes, too, although he hadn't specifically told her to get a new attire for the time she was staying with him.

The elevator door pinged open and he got out, seeing Mashburn's lovely secretary Sarah sitting on her desk and waving him when he came closer.

"Mr. Jane, it's so nice seeing you again. Mr. Mashburn is already waiting for you and I got orders to send you right through." Since she knew Jane always preferred to help himself, instead of having Sarah to get up for him, she pointed towards the heavy wood doors which marked the entrance to Mashburn's office. He smiled at her and quickly entered the room.

"Patrick!", Mashburn greeted him cheerfully, "I'm surprised you made it in time. How did it go with Bajoran?"

Jane smirked before he took a crystal glass from the stand and poured himself a glass of scotch to demonstrate his victory. "Well, Walter, I'd say you achieved your goal. He's was furious you didn't come like all of this was some kind of game for you and you didn't take the victory over his company serious in the end."

Walter laughed: "Just like we said. On a scale from one to ten, how furious was he exactly?"

"I'm afraid you won't get the pleasure of having the old desk he has at his office. The one you wanted for your home office, remember? After I left he destroyed his office, calling you names even I didn't knew existed. You got him bad, Walter. But that's what you wanted, right?"

Mashburn shrugged and stood up to pour himself a glass of scotch just like Jane had before, to celebrate. "Cheers, my friend. I'm glad I sent you for that assignment. Everything worked out just the way I wanted. But tell me, how was the rest of your visit to Vegas? Did they throw you out of the casinos?"

Jane leaned back in his chair, taking a sip of his drink. In the end, he was glad he hadn't gone to a casino, because if he had, he'd never have met Teresa. Thank god Cho had known about the "Red Mill" in the first place. "My visit was good indeed. I made a lot of interesting... Let's call it experiences."

"Oh apropos interesting experiences", the dark haired man grinned, "I had a very amusing phone call with your ex-girlfriend."

Jane raised an eyebrow, surprised about Mashburn's news. "You talked to Erica? What did she want?"

"She wanted to know how to reach you, because you wouldn't pick up your phone when she called."

"Maybe that's because I don't have anything to tell her?", the blond answered. He had hoped the break up with Erica would be easy, but it seems like he'd been wrong. Some women just didn't understand when it was time to let go.

"That poor woman, really Patrick. She was so upset with you, told me to tell you she didn't mean it and so on..."

"Well what did you tell her?", Jane asked curiously. The grin on his boss's face told him Mashburn enjoyed this moment entirely too much.

"I told her I couldn't speak for you, but if she needed a strong shoulder to cry on, she was welcome to visit me any time." The mischievous look he gave him, made Jane roll his eyes.

"I thought you had enough of her when you almost married her three years ago, Walter."

"I had enough of her _talking,_ the sex has always been great. You must know, Patrick, you've had her plenty of times I suppose..." He waited for Jane's reaction, but the man on the other side of his desk remained silent.

"Well, I'm glad your visit to Vegas was successful, but what's with tonight? Do you think you can persuade good old Minelli into selling us his little company? I heard Ray Haffner had a meeting with him yesterday and it went really bad." Mashburn couldn't hide the grin on his face. "I hope that just means we'll be more lucky tonight. I count on you, Paddy. Oh by the way, I got a lovely lady to accompany you to the dinner tonight. Her name is Leslie and she has certain skills that will make you become wax in her hands not just during, but also after dinner. Consider it as a little thank you from me to you."

This time it was Jane's turn to flash his boss and friend a patronizing smile, shaking his head: "I'm sorry to disappoint you, Walter, but I already have someone to accompany me tonight."

"You do?", the brunet man asked in surprise and leaned closer towards Jane, folding his hands, "who is she? Do I know her?"

"No you don't and you don't have to, Walter, at least not now. I might introduce the two of you when the time is right."

"Oh, are you afraid I might steal her away from you?", he laughed, but Jane shook his head once again.

"I'm just afraid she might punch you in the nose if you're getting on her nerves with your macho like behavior for too long." Jane remembered the hard punch she gave him by accident, when he followed her out of the alley last night. He didn't doubt she would hit Mashburn if necessary.

"Oh, a little firecracker you have there. Well Patrick, I can't wait to meet her. But you can tell me her name, can't you? Or does that reveal to your little secret?"

"Her name is Teresa", he answered, "but enough of this. I thought you wanted me to come by, because you had to talk the plan through with me on how to approach Minelli."

Mashburn didn't seem to be please with that little information of Jane's mysterious company, but the blond man was right, he needed to explain everything to Jane about the deal with Minelli's company.

* * *

While walking back to the hotel, Teresa thought about every possible scenario on how to explain Jane she hadn't been able to find a dress and instead of trying again, she'd gone home. Well, maybe she would have tried out a second hand store, but her mood was so low, she wouldn't take a stupid dress if anyone would throw it at her.

Angrily, she stormed the stairs up, rushing to the front entrance doors, that a guy in a red uniform was holding up for her. He nodded friendly, but she didn't repeat it.

"Excuse me, Miss? Miss!", the woman at the reception desk, who hadn't been able to give her a map earlier called her. Teresa thought about showing her the finger, but she rolled her eyes and stopped, walking over to the desk.

"_What?!_", she asked annoyed.

Cleo opened her mouth and closed it again, as if not really certain what to say. It was just then, when Mr. Bosco appeared out of the blue, touching Teresa's shoulder gently. "I am sorry to interrupt, Miss, but I would like you to follow me for a few moments."

"Listen, I really don't have the time, Mister. I have to…" Bosco put an arm on the small of her back, pushing her forward. She bushed the hand off, wanting to leave, but he grabbed her upper arm, looking her deep in the eye. "Please, Miss. We can do this the easy way or I can call security service, what would you prefer?"

Teresa gave him a hatred look but followed him towards the direction he indicated. They went into a small office, saying "Samuel Bosco – Manager". Bosco pointed towards a chair, where the brunette could sit down. Not sure what the next step of his plan was, the manager leaned against his desk, watching her with a certain interest.

She didn't feel comfortable, but she tried to ignore it, looking at the pictures on the wall. What did this guy want? She hadn't done anything wrong, had she? This was ridiculous! Was every single human being in the world against her today? Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Bosco cleared his throat and started talking.

"Now, Miss… what was your name again?"

"Well you didn't ask, before you forced me in here", Teresa answered sassily. Bosco gave her a look saying "don't play with me", so she added quietly: "But my name is Teresa." Bosco nodded it off, analyzing her once more.

"Well, Miss Teresa, as you might have realized, our hotel is a very high class hotel."

"I know that, I'm staying with Mr. Jane", she said annoyed, "I you don't believe him, call him."

"Oh I believe you, that's not the point. You know, Mr. Jane is a special kind of customer and as a hotel in our league, we see special customers as some kind of friends. As a friend, out hotel is willing to overlook some things, things like you, Miss Teresa. So since you're staying with him I guess you are some kind of… relative?"

Teresa stared at him, not believing what she just heard. Was this man serious? She realized she was looking at him with her mouth open, so she shut it, her eyes still wide. Should she just play along? Somehow she didn't thing this guy wanted her any harm, or he'd have called the cops or _security service_ how he'd called it already.

"Is it so obvious I'm a hooker?!", she asked sadly. For a second she thought to see a hint of pity in his eyes, but he shook his head.

"Let's forget you just said that. Relative. I was asking you if you were some kind of relative, his… niece for example. Just nod, if your okay with it."

"Yes… I'm… his niece", she nodded with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, that's very good. I'm glad we established this. Naturally, when Mr. Jane leaves, I can assume I won't see you in this hotel again, right? You don't have any other _uncles_ here, do you?"

Teresa shook her head, still speechless by what Mr. Bosco was telling her. She hadn't signed up for this, when she came to LA, not a bit!

"Great, well if you want to stay here in this hotel, I would encourage you to dress a little more appropriate."

That's when it hit her. She jumped up, hands on her hips and trying to make herself tall, which was impossible with a man as tall as Bosco in front of her. "That's what I tried! Mr. Jane asked me to go and buy some clothes on fucking Rodeo Drive, he even gave me his stupid credit card!"

She pulled it out of her pocket and threw it towards Bosco, who caught it in surprise of the outburst of the little lady in front of him. "I wanted to buy stuff, I'm not stupid, I know I can't walk around here dressed like this. Even if I have to wear bourgeois clothes, I don't care! But When I walked into this store and asked these bitches how much a dress was, they kicked me out, telling me they wouldn't sell me anything! They… they… they just… I tried and I was friendly, but they were not and…"

The little brunette hid her face behind her hands and sank back into the chair, trying to suppress a sob. "Jane asked me to do _one _stupid thing for him and that was buying a dress. I failed, just as always. Now I have this stupid credit card but no dress to wear for dinner tonight and I don't know how to explain it to him. He's going to be so mad at me, he's going to throw me out and send me back to Vegas and…"

Suddenly, she felt a hand resting on her shoulder. Bosco was kneeling on the ground next to her, watching her with a wary look. She wasn't sure if he believed her, or if he thought this was all just some kind of show she pulled, but he reached to his pocket to give her a hanky, letting her sneeze into it and brushing away the tears. Then he stood up, walking back towards his desk, just to take the phone in his hand.

Great, he was calling the cops. Everything would be over before it even started! Again tears started to fall from her eyes, but this time Teresa tried to stay strong. If she was going to get arrested, it would be like that.

"Cleo? Connect me with Miss Madeleine, please", Bosco told the woman on the phone. Teresa looked up, confusion in her eyes. "Miss Madeleine" didn't sound like the nearest police station to her.

The manager continued: "Miss Madeleine? Yes, this is Samuel Bosco from the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. I would like you to do me a favor. I have a special guest here – actually she's the niece of a very special guest and she needs a dress for dinner tonight. Now I was asking myself, if you could work your magic on her … Alright, I'll send her over."

He hung up and stepped around the desk towards where Teresa was sitting. Bosco gave her back the golden credit card, smiling friendly: "I just had a talk with a very good friend of mine who has a boutique here in Beverly Hills. You will go there and get the dress you need for your dinner with Mr. Jane tonight, alright?"

"Are you serious?", Teresa asked surprised. She couldn't believe Mr. Bosco had just helped her for no reason. Well he had a reason, but after today, she wasn't used to people being this friendly to her, _helping_ her with a problem.

"I am serious, Miss Teresa. Now would you please make sure you get this dress in time? A limousine will be waiting for you once you got out of the building."

She jumped up and ran towards the door, almost bumping into him: "I will! Thank you!" With this, the petite brunette vanished, leaving Bosco behind, who was shaking his head and suppressing a smile.

Xxxxx

About fifteen minutes later, the chauffeur of the limousine told Teresa they reached their final destination. She got out, all excited over the big building and the tall, chocolate skinned woman who was standing in front of it, seeming to wait for someone.

The minute she saw her, the woman came towards Teresa, reaching out to take her hand: "Oh you must be Miss Teresa, right? My name is Madeleine Hightower, but you can call me Madeleine. Sam called and let me know you need a dress?"

She nodded and let the woman lead her into the building, which smelled a little like vanilla mixed with flowers. There were the finest clothes _everywhere_, so Teresa almost took a step back, because it was so overwhelming.

"So, the dress", Madeleine began, "Tell me, dear, where are you going tonight? A date, dancing, to the opera…?"

"Dinner", the petite brunette said, "We're… going to dinner."

"Oh that is great, so you need a cocktail dress." She lead Teresa through half of the building into a separated area full of dresses and evening gowns. "You're a size 6, right?"

"How do you know?"

Madeleine smiled sweetly at her and grinned: "That's my job. Oh, I have just the right thing for you, you're going to look fantastic in it, you uncle will be amazed!"

Uncle? Oh yeah right, people thought _Jane_ was her uncle. "Uhm…", Teresa mumbled, "Madeleine, Mr. Jane isn't really my uncle, you know…"

The woman laughed out loud, before she laid a hand on Teresa's shoulder, looking her deep in the eye: "They never are, my dear, but I don't care about that. You seem like a nice girl and I know Sam wouldn't have sent me to you if he didn't like you, so don't you worry. Your secret is safe with me. I know Patrick Jane, very fine man by the way, he once ordered our house to have a suit tailored for him. We will find something for you, that'll blow his mind."

* * *

A/N: Yayyy we're finished! I hope you liked it as much as I did! Now… what do you think Jane is going to say to Teresa in a dress? What do you think of the new characters I introduced, especially Bosco? :)

Since there may be some of you who haven't wanted 6x06 last week already, I wish you lots of fun! Oh and please don't forget to vote for The Mentalist at the PCA's! You can join us on twitter, download the app for the iphone or simply vote via facebook or the original website! (I highly recommend the app, because it's the fastest way of voting)  
Now if you liked the chapter, make sure to log in and leave a review – I know I've been lazy which answering lately, but I try to get better! Until next time…


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